Stranger
by bauerfreak
Summary: There's a lot in my past I'd like to forget. Nick Stokes, Fallen Idols. Snickers AU. Nick finds out he has a daughter from a one night stand.
1. Chapter 1

"_There's a lot in my past I'd like to forget." – Nick Stokes, Fallen Idols_

Pulling into the pick-up area of Foothills Montessori School, Nick Stokes couldn't help but beam with fatherly pride as he saw his five year old daughter waving to him, dressed in her cowgirl Halloween costume. In her right hand, she carried an orange, plastic jack-o-lantern that was no doubt filled with teeth-rotting candy from her classroom's Halloween party. Nick was also sure she was filled with sugar and he'd be dealing with the detox at home.

Her kindergarten teacher took her hand, guiding the brown-haired girl in pigtails to the waiting Denali. However, her pink cowgirl hat flew off and she quickly skipped off to retrieve it. Miss Bradshaw smiled and opened the back door to let his daughter inside.

"Hi, daddy!" She greeted him, all smiles, and looking as adorable as he could imagine with her pink vest, hat, chaps, and cowboy boots, topped off that that trademark Stokes grin. She was a spitting image of her mother, but that smile was all his.

"Hi, Carly." He smiled warmly. Nick waved at Miss Bradshaw. "Thanks, Miss Bradshaw. Have a good evening."

The teacher bid him the same, but Nick could tell she was exhausted after a seven and a half hour day of chasing five year olds. Halloween had to be the worst. Nick began to pull out of the car loop line and looked in his rearview mirror at Carly. She was currently on her knees about to give her sleeping baby brother, Nolan, a kiss on the forehead.

"Hi Nolaaaan." She cooed gently to her tiny brother, who was almost one year old now. Nick and Sara had been concerned that Carly wouldn't handle having a brother or sister very well, but she had always been so gentle and nurturing towards Nolan. She had her moments of jealousy of course, but she was overall a wonderful big sister.

"Are you all buckled up, babe?" He asked his daughter, prompting her that she needed to sit in her own booster seat. Carly took the hint and moved to her seat without protest. Nick heard a clacking of metal on plastic, and knew she was having a bit of a hard time getting the buckle in.

"Almost." She told him, sticking her tongue out of the side of her mouth in concentration. Finally, he heard it click into place as they reached the road. "There!"

"Good girl." Nick told her as he began driving towards their house, about ten minutes away. "How was the party?"

Carly giggled with excitement at the memory of the party, and what was to come that night.

"It was goooood." She told him, leaning forward. "We got to go to all the big kid classes and show 'em our cossumes, and then we painted punkins but we put on smocks first, daddy." Carly explained to him, knowing her father would always listen to every word she said.

For the next ten minutes on the way home, Nick only managed to get in a few words as Carly filled him in on every detail of her day at kindergarten. Nick was sure that one day, she would probably be a commentator or perhaps someone who reported from the red carpet. He wouldn't change her chattiness for the world, though. He pulled into the garage of their comfortable middle-class home on the outskirts of Las Vegas, away from all the lights, sexcapades, and and hype. Nick and Sara saw enough of it every day at work, and definitely didn't want Carly and Nolan growing up around it.

"…So I told Megan I wouldn't trade her Skittles for a Snickers bar because I think Snickers are the best, daddy." Carly went on as Nick put the Denali in park and opened stepped out.

Nick opened the passenger door where Nolan was still napping still, even amidst his older sister's rather loud and lengthy account of her day, and the drama of candy trading.

"Well, I think you made the right choice, darlin'. Snickers are really good." He told her. "I might have to steal a bar from you."

Carly cackled as he gently scooped Nolan out of the car seat and into his arms. He put a finger to his lips to remind her to stay quiet. Carly put her hands over her mouth but still giggled.

"Don't forget your backpack, sweet pea." He told her as Carly crossed the Denali to get out the side Nick had opened up. The door was still a bit too heavy for her to open on her own. Carly grabbed her pumpkin first and then her backpack and carefully hopped out of the car, making sure she didn't spill any candy.

Nick took his son straight upstairs to the nursery to put him back down for his mid-afternoon nap. He was a very good baby, and very rarely woke up when he had to be transported daily at 2:30 to pick Carly up from school. Nick set his youngest and only son in his crib and dropped a kiss to his forehead. Nolan yawned but didn't stir from his sleep, causing his father to smile. He watched his baby sleeping for a minute or so, and then closed the door and headed back downstairs.

Carly knew her afternoon routine, and was currently on the couch watching the one show she was allowed to see after school before getting to homework. She already had her feet up on the couch and set her hat on the coffee table.

"Carly, take off your boots please if you're gonna do that." He reminded her as he stepped into the kitchen to fix her a snack. Carly quickly complied, not taking her eyes off "That's So Raven."

The phone rang as Nick was preparing Carly some sliced apple to dip in peanut butter. He answered it, resting the phone between his shoulder and ear as he continued to slice the apple.

"Hey, Sar." He greeted his wife, having seen the caller ID.

"Hey." Nick could tell she wasn't calling with good news. That morning, she had been called into work quite early, and still hadn't be able to get home.

"Is Carly back home now?" She asked him as she looked at a huge table full of new evidence from a hot case they were working on.

"Mmmhmmm. I just picked her up." Nick told her, glancing at the said five year old entranced by Raven on the television. "Is something wrong?"

Sara sighed and rubbed at her forehead in frustration. "Well, I'm afraid I won't be able to take her trick-or-treating tonight like I promised." She informed him. "We're swamped with new evidence, Nick. They almost called you in, but I talked them out of it."

"Are you kidding me?" He asked her, as he chopped into the apple a little harder. "Oh, baby. I'm sorry. I know you really wanted to go."

"Yeah." She sighed, wanting nothing more than to take Carly house to house with her husband that night.

"You want me to tell her?" Nick asked quietly, looking back over at his daughter, who was about to reach into her pumpkin for some candy.

"No, I need to. I'll try to be home by eight, but I don't know if I can." She told him, shoving some evidence around on the table, sifting through it.

"Alright. She'll be fine, darlin'. Don't worry." Nick reassured her, knowing Sara felt awful. Carly had been looking forward to trick or treating with her parents even since the Halloween gear started appearing in stores in…August.

"Thanks, baby. I love you." Sara told him.

"Love you too." He told her as he started walking over to Carly with the phone and the apple slices. "Carly Nicole, drop that candy." Nick told her firmly.

Carly smiled innocently and put the Tootsie Roll back into her pumpkin.

"Here, it's momma." He told her, handing the phone over, and setting the plate down on the table. He also scooped the pumpkin back up to remove any temptation.

Carly put the phone up to her ear and greeted her mother. Nick listened in to her end of the conversation with Sara and could tell when she broke the news.

"But momma…" She whined a little tearfully. "You promised."

Carly was silent for a few moments while Sara likely offered her the standard 'Mommy has to catch some bad guys, which is a very important job' explanation.

The kindergartener offered her trademark angry grumble, like she did whenever Nick and Sara were trying to make her do something she didn't want to do.

"Yes, ma'am. I understand." She said a few moments later, reluctantly. "Love you too." She then put the phone to her shoulder and called to her father. "Daddy, she wants to talk to you again."

Nick walked over and took the phone again from his daughter, sitting down next to her.

"Eat your snack, baby." He told her before bringing the receiver to his ear again. "Hey, it's me."

"Does she hate me right now?" Sara asked him immediately, already feeling awful about missing one of Carly's favorite nights of the year.

Nick sighed and began stroking some of Carly's messy bangs back from her forehead. "She'll be fine. She can still go trick or treating with daddy." He told his wife, but also knowing Carly would hear it. Carly was a sweet girl, but she could be a powerful manipulator. She was really good at making you feel bad if you let her down.

Nick was reminded of that when she pushed his hand away and crawled to the other end of the couch and put a pillow over her head and grumbled loudly.

"If she changes her attitude." Nick added into the phone, after her little mini-tantrum. Carly peeked out from under the pillow and received a look from her father.

"We'll see you tonight, and we love you." Nick told his wife. "Bye."

Nick clicked the phone off and set it down on the coffee table. He watched his daughter for a few moments, still at the other end of the couch was a pillow over her head. He understood that she was really disappointed, but Sara felt so awful about having to miss the event.

"Carly, c'mere." He asked her, patting his leg for her to come sit in his lap. After a few moments, Carly removed the pillow from her head and crawled over to sit in her daddy's lap. Nick could see she had tears in her eyes.

He put his arms around her as she buried her face in his shirt and cried softly.

"Iwanmommatocometoo…" She told him almost incoherently as she cried.

"Ssshhh…." Nick cooed as he gently rubbed her back in comfort. "I know you do, sweetie. I want momma to come too, but we talked about this before, didn't we?" He reminded her.

Nick carefully extracted her face from his shirt so he could look at her in the eyes. Carly looked at him and rubbed at her teary eyes.

"What did we say, sweetie?" He prompted her.

Carly took in tearful breaths. "Th…that sometimes you and momma hafta go to work and you can't help it, and you hafta catch the bad guys."

"That's right." He kissed her forehead. "Now, I know momma promised to go trick or treating with you, but they need her at work. She would rather be here with you, and she feels really bad that she can't. Do you understand?"

Carly pawed more at her wet face, trying to calm herself.

"I guess so." She told him, but it was still hard for the five year old to understand. Carly didn't understand why they had to have HER mom and HER dad to catch the bad guys.

"Good girl." Nick told her. He suspected that coming down from a sugar high had something to do with her emotional response, and decided a nap was in order so she would be well-behaved at trick or treating. "Let's go lay down for a nap, darlin', so you'll have plenty of energy for trick or treating." Nick said, preparing himself for some protesting.

"Noooo…" She moaned as her father stood up with her in his arms. However, she rested her pigtailed head on one of his shoulders, her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Yeeees." He kind of teased back as he carried her towards the stairs. "I bet you'll feel better after a nap."

"I bet I'll feel better if I just eat more candy." She told him as he took her up the stairs to her bedroom. Nick chuckled at her answer, rubbing her back to settle her down.

"You'll have plenty of candy to eat later. Now it's nap time." He told her as he pushed her door open. Carly whimpered in protest but knew arguing wouldn't get her anywhere. Nick pulled back her Dora the Explorer covers and set his daughter down on the mattress.

"Binky." She requested. Nick sighed and handed Carly her tattered baby blanket that she refused to give up. It had large holes all over it, but it helped her calm down and go to sleep, apparently. He leaned down to kiss her foreheade as she settled in.

"Love you, sweetheart. Sleep tight."

Nick left the room moments later so Carly could get some well-needed rest. It would certainly be interesting to juggle a baby in a stroller and a kindergartener while trick or treating that night.

He stopped briefly in Nolan's room to check on the boy, who was still fast asleep. Finally, he headed downstairs and started a load of laundry just as the phone rang. Nick figured it was Sara, calling to make sure Carly was okay.

"Sar, she's doing fine." He answered, not bothering to check the caller ID.

Nick shook his head as the voice on the other end began talking, and it didn't belong to Sara.

"Yes, this is Nick Stokes." He told the man. Nick listened unbelievably to what the man was telling him, his mouth gaping. He had to lean against the counter to keep himself from keeling over.

"You have got to be kidding me. H…how did this happen?"

A/N: Hope you like it so far!! What is the crazy news….find out next time!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I felt really bad leaving that cliffhanger, so I tried to write this chapter fast! Thanks to MrsEads and LadyBug07 for their input! Dun dun dun…here we go…

Sara Stokes sighed as she momentarily stopped sifting through the mountains of evidence in front of her at work. Her cell phone was ringing yet again. She looked at the caller ID and predictably saw that it was her husband. He was probably having trouble with an upset Carly. It had broken her heart how upset her daughter sounded on the phone.

"Everything alright?" She asked as she multitasked by penning the contents of an evidence bag.

On the other end of the phone, Nick winced and ran a hand through his hair. The pause frightened his wife.

"Nicky?" She stopped what she was doing.

"Ummm…depends how you define okay." He told her vaguely, frightened beyond words at what he was about to tell her.

Sara took off her latex gloves and leaned back against the counter, giving her full attention to Nick.

"Nick, you're scaring me." She admitted, not liking the slight shakiness in his voice. Nick was always her rock she leaned on, and it was unsettling to hear him so unsure and afraid. "Are the kids okay?"

"The kids are fine." He quickly cleared up. "I…I'm sorry." Nick told her, touching two fingers to the bridge of his nose. He was scared too. Scared out of his mind.

"I…uh…I just got a phone call."

Nick kept pausing and stalling and Sara just wanted to ring his neck over the phone. Did something to happen to the kids? His parents?

"Okay…" She was working with him. "And…."

"Ummm…I don't know how else to say this." Nick told her, rubbing his forehead. "But apparently I have another kid."

The phone was silent on both ends for almost ten seconds. What?

"Apparently?"

"Uhhh…yeah." Nick scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. How was he going to explain this one? "Child Services just contacted me."

Sara was silent again for several moments, trying to formulate her thoughts into words. She had so many questions she didn't know where to start.

"What?"

Nick sighed and rubbed at his face.

"Baby, calm down."

"When? With who? How did you not know about this?" Sara demanded. Had her husband had an affair with someone?

Nick knew he had some major explaining to do, but he himself had so many questions also. Mostly, how did he not know about this.

"She's thirteen Sar." Nick told her. "And her mother was a woman I had…I had…" He really didn't want to say it.

"Had sex with." Sara finished for him.

"Well, obviously, Sar." He sighed. Nick was not proud of his past, and his reputation as a ladies' man was well-earned. It was a past he liked to push out of his mind, but with this new revelation, it was all coming back. "I…uh…had a one night stand with her."

Sara let out a little scoff at the news. She knew Nick had slept with his fair share of women, and somehow deep down it didn't surprise her that there was another mini Stokes out there in the world.

"A one night stand?" She questioned him. "Didn't you use protection?"

"Yes, Sara. I always did, but it's not one hundred percent guaranteed." Nick defended himself.

Sara sighed again loudly as she took in the news. So, why was he finding out about this now?

"So, what, is she wanting child support?" She asked him, her mind swimming. They had two kids already, and now some woman Nick knocked up fourteen years ago wanted money.

"She died, Sara." Nick said simply. "In a car crash yesterday, and her husband too. My name is listed on the birth certificate, so now I'm legally responsible for her."

Sara didn't know what to say, and Nick took it as a sign she was being cold and unsupportive.

"Sara, I'm just as shocked as you are. It's not like I knew about her." He raised his voice slightly, getting frustrated. "I would appreciate a little understanding on your part."

"Look, Nick. I'm sorry. This is all just coming as a shock to me." She told him honestly, still trying to return her heart rate to normal.

"I know, baby." Nick whispered into the phone. "I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm beyond shocked, believe me."

Sara nodded and took a deep, calming breath.

"Okay, let's just take a minute to process this." She decided, steadying herself against the table. Nick nodded and took a deep breath himself, noticing for the first time that his hands were literally trembling. He'd had a daughter for thirteen years and he never knew about her? What was she like? Did she know who he was?

Both of them were silent on the phone for the next fifteen seconds or so, just breathing in and out. They'd gone through so much together, and they were going to get through this.

"Are you okay?" She whispered to her husband after a few seconds, rubbing her neck. Wow, this changed everything.

Nick was silent for a few moments but then answered, "I think so. I mean, I just don't know where to start, Sar. How do you begin living your life with someone you didn't even know existed? And I mean, she's thirteen, she's starting to figure out how the world works. How do I explain to her why I haven't been in her life?"

"Nick, let's just take this one step at a time." Sara reminded him. "We'll find out all these things about her one at a time. Let's not overwhelm ourselves."

Nick let out a breath to calm himself. "You're right. Let's not overthink this." He agreed. "I'm sure she has lots of questions for us too."

"Yeah, I'm sure she does." Sara agreed, though her mind was racing as to what Nick's daughter would be like. Carly was already starting to take after her father so much, and she wondered how much was nature and how much was nurture. Would she love science like her father? Was she athletic and intelligent? What was her personality like? And what would she think of all of them?

"What's her name?" She whispered.

Nick smiled with pride for the child he didn't even know yet. "Riley. Riley Michelle Groves."

"That's a beautiful name." She told him.

"Yeah." He agreed. "She's been living in Tucson, and she's in foster care right now. They wanna make the arrangements to fly her out on Saturday."

That was two days from now. They would have so much to do in the next forty-eight hours, like figuring out where she was going to sleep, where she'd go to school, and hundreds of other details they hadn't even thought of yet.

"Saturday. Wow." Sara commented, her mind racing with all these thoughts. "There's a lot to do, but we'll be ready."

"Thank you, baby." Nick told her, trying not to cry. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." Sara smiled. "Past and all. I'll try to get home as soon as I can." She assured him, trying to think of how she could speed this evidence logging up.

Nick felt a few tears come to his eyes as they hung up. Sara could be so upset and angry about this with him if she wanted to be, but after the initial shock wore off, she was being so supportive. Nick knew he wouldn't be able to do this without her. Choice or no choice, they would be raising this lost child of his together.

A/N 2: Heeee. I hope you liked the news. Please let me know what you thought, and thanks so much for your kind reviews!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Woo, chapter three! Thanks so much for all the reviews so far. This has been ready since Friday, but went buns up. I have chapter 4 done and part of chapter 5, so I'll be posting again soon. I'm glad you liked the surprise and hope you keep reading! Thank you, Emily for your kind words!! We all think Snickers rocks a lot too…

Here's the next chapter! Enjoy and review please J

"Trick or Treat!" Five year old Carly Stokes greeted one of the neighbors on the Stokes' suburban Las Vegas street. She held out her pumpkin, which was already about a third full, and accepted two more pieces of candy from Mrs. Anderson.

"Hello, Carly!!" She greeted the young girl, having met her before when she would come riding down the sidewalk on her bike with her parents close behind. "Are you a cowgirl tonight?"

"Uh-huh." Carly nodded, beaming up at the lady in her mid-forties. "My daddy did my pigtails." She told her proudly, looking back at her father, who was waiting at the sidewalk with Nolan and the stroller.

"Nolan's a skeleton." She told her. Mrs. Anderson smiled at Nick, who had a sleeping Nolan in the stroller, dressed in a black active suit with a skeleton pattern on the front. Sara had picked it out.

"Well you look great, Carly. Tell Nolan I say hi when he wakes up."

Carly promised she would and then skipped back over to her father. He waved and took Carly's hand in his free one.

"What'd you get there?" He asked her as they walked towards the next house.

"Uhhh…" She looked in her pumpkin, "Butterfinger and some Stikkles."

"You mean Skittles?" He smirked down at her.

"That's what I said." She told him, and squeezed his hand a little tighter when she saw a group of big kids walk towards them with scary masks on.

"It's okay. It's just pretend." He reassured her, squeezing her hand back to reassure her. Carly loved playing dress up, but she definitely wasn't a big fan of gore and scary stuff at this stage in her life.

They soon arrived at the next house and Nick watched his daughter scamper off to the porch. He watched her and smiled as she rang the doorbell and no doubt smiled widely using the standard Halloween greeting.

Nick loved trick or treating with his daughter, but tonight his mind was of course elsewhere. He had just found out that he had a thirteen year old daughter, which his one-night-stand date had never informed him about. He of course hadn't told Carly about it yet. That night when Sara got home, they would discuss how they were going to explain it to Carly, and how they were going to invite this young lady into their lives.

Nick heard Carly giggle from the front porch, and he couldn't help but wonder what Riley's laugh sounded like. Did she have a happy childhood, like Carly was having and get to giggle often? What was she in to? Nick couldn't help but feel a little sad, because he had missed out and most of her childhood. He didn't get to take her trick or treating like he was doing with Carly now. He didn't get to read her bedtime stories and teach her how to swim. Could he make up for lost time, or was it too late?

He snapped out of his thoughts when Carly came running back towards him with a huge smile on her face.

"Daddy, Mr. Walters gave me four pieces!" She informed him proudly. Nick waved at his neighbor. Was he trying to rot this kid's teeth?

"Well, that's very generous. Did you thank him?"

"Uh-huh." She told her father. Just then, Nolan started stirring in his stroller and whimpered a bit. Nick knelt down next to it to check on his son.

"Hey, bud." Nick greeted him, putting his hand on his tiny belly. "Those goblins aren't giving you bad dreams are they?"

Carly went to the other side of the stroller and looked down at her brother. She was still so fascinated by him, and loved to play 'mommy' towards him. Nick smirked when Carly leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"It's okay, Nolan." She tried to sooth him in quite a grown-up, but still so innocent, voice. "Take a deep breath."

Nolan didn't comply, of course, but it was sweet of Carly to try. She instead let him grasp one of her fingers and she shooshed him tenderly. He actually started to calm down.

Carly smiled in pride when he stopped his crying.

"I'm a good big sister." She told her father, quite pleased with herself.

"Yes, you are." Nick told her, and wondered how he was going to explain how she was actually a little sister as well.

CSI CSI CSI CSI

Sara arrived home that night at about nine-thirty, well past Carly's bedtime. Carly had been disappointed that she didn't get to see her mother before she went to sleep, but tried her best in her five year old heart to understand why she couldn't be there.

Sara gently pushed her bedroom door open when she got in to find her little girl still in her pigtails, tucked safely under her covers. Her cowgirl hat was perched on the post of her bed, her Halloween costume sitting on her rocking chair next to her bucket of candy.

She smiled as she knelt down next to Carly's bed and gave her a tender kiss on the forehead, stroking one of her pigtails lovingly. Nick watched from the doorframe, leaning against it with his arms crossed. Sara whispered that she loved her, and then quietly stood up. Walking towards the door, she took Nick's hand in her own before they closed the door and headed for their own bedroom.

The couple both let out a big breath as they settled on the bed. Sara laid on her back and Nick on his side right next to her with his head propped up in his hand. Gently, he took her closest hand in his and ran his thumb over her knuckles. He watched his wife for a few moments to assess her mood.

"I know you must be thinking…who the hell did I marry?" He started softly as Sara stared up at the ceiling.

Sara turned her head and gave her husband a confused look.

"Why would you think that?" She asked him.

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "How could you not?" He pointed out. "I've got a past I'm not proud of, Sar. I did a lot of things I regret now, and this discovery is kind of reminding me, you know?"

Sara shook her head at her husband. "Nick, you went to college. You had a little fun in your twenties. Sure, not everyone has one night stands, but that doesn't make you a bad person, Nick."

She turned so she was on her side and reached out to stroke Nick's cheek lovingly. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. You have two beautiful children now, and one that we're about to meet that will no doubt be wonderful because she's half yours."

Nick smiled weakly and gazed into his wife's eyes. She was so amazing to be able to have a positive outlook about this. This situation was insane.

"I'm so scared that she'll hate me." Nick told her honestly. "Since I haven't been in her life for thirteen years."

Sara nodded and rubbed his arm soothingly. "Well, there's gonna be a lot of feelings involved that we'll all have to deal with. And we're gonna have to put her, Carly and Nolan first. Our feelings will have to be secondary. But I could never imagine one of your children hating you. You're too good of a father."

"But am I going to be her father too late?" He whispered, linking their fingers together between their bodies.

"It's never too late for a girl to have her daddy in her life." Sara told him, thinking of her own childhood. She'd had a father, and a lousy one. What she would've given to have a male figure as caring and wonderful as Nick in her life at any point.

Nick leaned forward and captured Sara's lips with his own. The couple exchanged slow, tender kisses as they lay in bed together, thinking of the changes that were about to come.


	4. Chapter 4

"There's another baby growing in your tummy?" Carly asked her parents as she swung her feet on the couch.

Nick and Sara looked at each other from where they were sitting on the coffee table right in front of their five year old daughter. It was hard to explain how she had been the oldest for a year, and now all of a sudden she had a big sister.

"No, sweetheart." Sara tried to explain gently. "You see, a long long time ago, Daddy uhhhh…loved another lady." She decided to say. "And they had a baby together, and your Daddy didn't even know about her."

Carly knitted her eyebrows and looked at her parents like they were aliens.

"But daddy, you only love mommy." She pointed out. It was clear to the kindergartener her parents belonged together. How could her daddy ever love someone besides her mommy?

Nick cleared his throat and nodded. "You're right, Carly. Now I only love your momma, but a long long time ago, I thought I loved someone else." He tried to explain without getting into details. Carly didn't need to know all those minor pieces like he'd slept with some random girl after a night of drinking at the bar with his buddies.

"Well how can you not know you had a baby, silly?" She asked her dad incredulously. Sara smiled a little at her husband and raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for his explanation. Nick gave his wife a look and turned back to his daughter.

"Well, I didn't see Riley's mother for a very long time, and she didn't tell me that she'd had a baby. So now, Riley's thirteen years old, and I just found out about her."

Carly seemed to ponder that for a few moments, twisting her lips to the side in thought.

"So now she's gonna live with us?" She asked.

"Uh-huh." Sara nodded.

Carly thought for a few seconds. "Won't her momma miss her?"

Nick and Sara exchanged a look again. "Well you see, Riley's momma died just a few days ago, which is why she's coming to live with us." Sara explained gently. They hadn't really talked to Carly about death a lot before, wanting to protect her from all that they could. She knew all living things died, but didn't quite comprehend that sometimes kids lost their parents. It's not something they wanted her thinking about just yet.

Carly nodded and stared at some far-off spot. "Where's she gonna sleep?"

That caused a little relief in the tension. Sometimes Carly surprised them with just what was occupying her mind.

"We're gonna turn daddy's office into her room." Sara told her.

Carly nodded and sighed at her parents. "Wait till I tell Megan about this. She's gonna FLIP. OUT."

CSI CSI CSI CSI

Riley Michelle Stokes tried to drown out the sound of the baby crying at the rear of the plane as the aircraft began its descent into the Las Vegas area. She'd been trying not to puke during the flight and so far had been lucky. It was her first plane ride, and a memorable one it was.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are continuing our descent to McCarren Airport., but we're experiencing a little turbulence. Please make sure you are buckled in, and we should be landing shortly." The pilot's voice announced over the intercom.

Riley sighed as she looked out the window, seeing endless miles of desert. Whose bright idea was it to build a town out here? Better yet, who in the right mind would want to live here?

Apparently, her father. Riley was feeling an array of emotions over the last few days. Her mother and stepfather had suddenly been taken away from her. Her life with them had not always been pleasant, but they were her parents. She and her mom fought like cats, and her stepfather…well, he wasn't her favorite person in the world.

But teenagers were supposed to hate their parents right? It was expected for a thirteen year old to argue with them, and slam doors, and cuss at them when she was angry? According to her friends it was normal, but their parents didn't die in a car crash the next day before they had a chance to talk about it.

So, here she was on a 747 to Las Vegas, Nevada, away from everyone and everything she ever knew, to meet the father who had never bothered to have a relationship with her. Her mother had told her all about him. They were an item for a week. He'd "gotten the ass he wanted", according to her mom, and then took off without even a phone call. Nine months later, she was born.

Ever since she was eleven and getting into boys, Riley's mother had drilled into her never to let a guy take advantage of her like her father had taken advantage of her. A girl's greatest treasure was her self-worth, and Riley had heard loud and clear that her biological father had taken her mother's. She'd made up her mind that if he ever tried to contact her, which was doubtful, she would give him a piece of her mind. Hopefully, that would never have to happen, because she never wanted to see him in her life.

Well, that kind of backfired. Now she had to live with him. For at least another five years. Riley's hands were clammy with nervousness as she thought about what he would be like, and what he would think of her. How was she supposed to live with and be civil to someone who'd hurt her mother so badly? Her mother was dead now, so she wasn't about to roll over and act like she was all happy to see him. Riley didn't think her mother would approve.

Riley put her hand over her mouth as the plane took a sudden dip. Damn this pilot. Damn that crying baby. Damn this situation. Damn her father.

She let her head fall back against her seat and took a few deep breaths. Riley could hear her mother's voice telling her to calm down. "Riley, stop being so dramatic."

Riley turned her head and looked out the window, seeing The Strip and all its lights flashing below her. It looked so unlike home that she almost wanted to cry, but she wasn't going to do that. She'd cried enough over the last few days.

The plane touched down soon after, and began its slow journey towards the airport gate. Riley noticed that she'd been moving her heel up and down anxiously as she watched the airport workers and the other planes. She willed herself to knock it off. She was not getting nervous.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Las Vegas, Nevada where the current time is 8:37 p.m.. The current temperature is ninety-two degrees. Thank you for flying with us today, and we hope you have a pleasant stay."

Riley sighed as the plane connected to the boarding sleeve and the fasten seat belt sign turned off. Everyone else quickly got up and found their carry-on luggage in the overhead compartments, moving off the plane to go about most likely pleasant activities. They were all probably here to play the slots and gamble and do whatever else supposedly "Stays in Vegas", but Riley was here for a very different reason, and she wouldn't be leaving any time soon.

The thirteen year old waited for everyone else to get off, not in any hurry. One of the flight attendants spotted her and came over to make sure everything was okay.

"Is everything alright, dear?" The older lady asked her gently, offering her a smile.

Riley looked up at her and managed a pleasant smile. "Yeah. Sorry, I must have spaced out." She told her as she finally stood, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. Riley let out a slow breath as she began walking down the aisle, towards the meeting that would change her life forever.

She walked slowly through the sleeve, looking down at her feet. Call it nervousness, call it fear, but all Riley wanted to do was run in the other direction back onto that plane and head back to Arizona. Riley knew she could run, but eventually the same moment would be staring her in the face again. It was time to meet this man who was her father.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Aloha, readers! Well, alerts STILL aren't working. I wanted to wait until they were working again to post, but I didn't feel like it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! If you like, please send me some love in review form.

Riley had been told that her father would be allowed to meet her at the gate since she was a minor. He would be waiting right out there. Past that doorway. Right there. She slowed as she neared the doorway. Riley couldn't believe how stupid she was being.

Riley stepped out into the airport with her head down and slowed until she had stopped and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and calmed herself, knowing that in a moment she would meet her father for the first time. Well, that is unless the guy was late.

Riley slowly opened her blue eyes, and her gaze immediately fell upon a tall, square-jawed, dark-haired man with a bit of a nervous look on his face. He was staring straight back at her, and Riley knew she probably had the same dumb-struck look on her own face. He held a sign that said, "Riley Groves" and stood alone. They both just stared at each other for a few moments before Nick gave her a timid wave, and a hello nod.

Riley gave a short, very brief wave back and started walking slowly towards him, biting her lip, one of her nervous habits. She came to stand a couple feet in front of him and had to look away because he actually had tears in his eyes. She was not going to cry. She was supposed to be mad at this guy, but he looked so caring, and she could tell he was just as nervous as she was.

"So…you must be Riley." He began, and she immediately noticed his Southern drawl.

"Uh-huh. You must be…my dad." She said, thinking how weird that sounded. Nick smiled widely, but was still a bit emotional, flashing his thousand-watt grin. Without a second thought in the world, he closed the gap between them and embraced Riley in a warm hug. He'd met her thirty seconds ago, and already he felt like he never wanted to let her go.

Riley let him hug her for about two seconds, but then he felt her pulling away. He let go, not wanting to push her at all and looked her over. She was wearing her pretty standard clothing – low-rise jeans, and a tank top topped off with a cotton zip-up jacket. Riley readjusted her backpack and coughed a little nervously.

Nick cleared his throat and composed himself. "So, what do you say we get outta here, huh? Are you hungry?" He suggested.

"Um, I'm not really hungry. Just tired." She told him honestly.

Nick nodded in understanding. "Okay, well let's get your baggage and we can go straight home. There's a lot of people very excited to meet you."

Riley nodded and bit back a few tears. She had no idea who he lived with, or if he had kids. She'd noticed that he had a wedding ring on his left hand, so apparently he'd gotten over his one night stand days.

Nick gave her a little smile and they started to walk off towards baggage claim. The pair walked a couple feet apart, and neither were quite sure what they were supposed to say – _so, how's your life been? What was your mom like?_

"How was your flight?" Nick safely asked as they got off the escalator.

"Alright, I guess." Riley said simply. She could go into more detail, but this was just insane. Why hadn't her mother written a will before she died, and picked someone she actually knew to raise her? Because her mother hadn't bothered, now she was stuck with this guy. Well, he didn't seem so bad so far, but she still hadn't forgotten what he'd done.

"There were a lot of people getting off. Was it a full flight?" Nick observed as they came to stand by the baggage carousel. Riley shrugged and watched for her bag, not really looking at her father.

"I guess so."

Nick nodded and could tell she was uncomfortable. He was a nervous wreck also. The CSI was known for being able to put people and ease and always think of something comforting to say, so why couldn't he have this effect on his own daughter? He kind of wished Sara was here right now to smooth things over, but he wanted to come alone.

The pair watched some of the luggage begin to come out on the carousel in silence.

"Let me know which ones are yours, and I'll get 'em." He told her. Riley nodded and watched for the two bags she had brought along. Her best friend's family would be shipping the rest of her stuff down in the next few days. What she wouldn't give to have Allison here with her right now.

_What does he want me to say? How should I act? How is this even happening?_

These were some of the thoughts going through Riley's head as the carousel went round and round in front of her eyes. She nervously played with the straps of her backpack, keeping her eyes glued on the bags coming towards her.

Finally, after five minutes, Riley saw her two bags coming towards them, close together. She turned to Nick. "Those two purple ones are mine." She told him quietly.

Nick nodded and stepped forward so he could pull them off. "Coming right up." He easily pulled the two large, purple bags from the belt and set them down on the floor. Both of them rolled, so he took the larger one, and let Riley wheel the other one.

"Alright. Is that everything?" He asked his daughter, looking back at her. Nick's heart broke when he saw tears swimming in her eyes. This was hard on him, but he couldn't imagine how hard it was for her. Everything she'd known for the last thirteen years was gone. Now she was being forced to live with strangers hundreds of miles from her home. It would be hard, but he would make sure she made it through. His daughter deserved that.

Riley quickly tried to compose herself, grabbing the handle of her suitcase.

"Yeah, that's it." She told him, with a hitch in her voice.

Nick nodded, and then took a chance, putting his hand on her shoulder. He gave it a light, supportive squeeze.

"Don't worry. Everything will be alright." He assured her, wanting to wrap her up in his arms, but he could sense she wouldn't appreciate that right now. Riley torqued her jaw a little and didn't say anything. Then, the father and daughter walked towards the exit of the terminal, ready to go home.

Soon, they reached the Stokes' Denali in the parking structure, and Nick loaded the suitcases into the back. Riley climbed in the passenger seat as Nick closed the door, and happened to glance into the backseat and saw a baby seat. He had at least one kid.

Nick saw his daughter looking around a little bit as he climbed into the driver's seat. He wasn't sure how much she'd been told about him and his family. She probably had many questions for him, and hoped to catch her a little up to speed on the drive home so she'd be prepared.

Nick put the keys into the ignition and they both buckled up. Country music played over the radio. Ugh. He listened to country.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road." He told her, then placed his hand on the back of her headrest as he looked backwards to pull out. Riley looked away out the window.

"You can change the station if you want." Nick said as he began maneuvering through the maze that was the parking garage. "I think a lot of the kids listen to 101.9"

Riley reached forward and played around with the tuner a little, and then settled on the station Nick had suggested. She smiled a little in relief when she heard Fall Out Boy playing. At least the music was the same here.

"Who's this?" He asked as he pulled up to the exit booth.

"Fall Out Boy." She answered simply.

Nick paid the attendant and soon he was pulling out onto the street.

"What do you like to listen to?"

Riley shrugged. "I guess rock, hip-hop, alternative. That sort of thing. You like country?"

Nick smiled and nodded his head. "I was born and raised in Texas. It's kind of a requirement to like country."

Well, that explained his accent.

"I'm guessing you're not a fan." He observed, looking over at her briefly.

"No, not really." She answered politely. She and her friends would actually make fun of kids who liked country at their old school.

There was a silence for about a minute or so as Nick concentrated on merging onto the interstate. When he'd gotten through the busiest section, he checked his rearview mirror and then glanced at Riley.

"So…I'm not sure how much they told you." He began. "Do you have any questions before we get home?"

Riley didn't think questioning him about his past and his involvement with her mother was appropriate just yet, but she would definitely be getting to that at some point.

"Um…I don't know." She told him, not sure what exactly he wanted her to ask.

"Well, how about I tell you a little bit then?" Nick offered. "Then if you think of any questions, I'll answer them."

Riley nodded in agreement and kept her eyes looking out the windshield.

"Well, I've been married to my wife Sara for about seven years now." He told her. "She and I met at work, and we both are still at the Las Vegas Crime Lab."

Yikes. An investigator. Two investigators. Riley, like pretty much everyone in the country, had watched all the CSI and forensics shows, and knew what that was all about. Riley continued to listen to what he was saying.

"And we have two beautiful children." He told her proudly. "Carly is five and in kindergarten. Nolan will be one on December 2nd."

Nick put one of his hands on the wheel, and managed to reach into his back pocket with the other. He successfully retrieved his wallet, where he kept several photos of his wife and children.

"Here, you can see a few pictures of 'em." Nick smiled a little as he handed his wallet over. Riley opened it up and found several pictures. The first was a family photo, with all four of them dressed in white shirts and jeans, looking all cozy. His wife was beautiful, and the two kids were adorable. Carly was a spitting image of her mother.

The next was a picture of just him and Sara, followed by Nolan's first picture in the hospital, and then apparently Carly's school picture. They all looked nice enough, but they were strangers to her.

"They seem nice." She told him, not knowing what to say, and then placed the wallet on the dashboard.

"They are. They really are." Nick said honestly. "And they're all so excited to meet you. Well, not Nolan I guess. He has no idea what's goin' on." He joked a little.

Riley wondered if that was really true. His wife was probably freaked out that he'd found out she existed. She was pretty sure that had lead to an interesting and heated conversation. And Carly – would she really be that welcoming? She was probably the apple of Nick's eye and knew it. How would she suddenly handle having an older sister?

"We've all been real busy getting your room ready. It was my office, but we cleared it out and found a bed. We figured you'd want to pick out all your furniture and maybe paint your walls."

Nick and Sara had no idea what a teenager would want in her room, so they thought it was wise to just wait until she got here to buy everything. They had been through the gradual stages of Carly's development, and had time to prepare for the next phase. Her room had transformed from nursery, to a toddler's room, and now into a little girl's. They knew what was coming and what to anticipate – but now they were plunging head on to raising a teenage girl they didn't know.

Nick and Sara knew her room was the least of their worries – how were they going to relate to and interact with her? What boundaries and rules would they put down? There were dozens of things they had discussed, and dozens more that hadn't even occurred to them yet. The two parents would have to learn as they went.

"Thanks. That'll be cool." She told him. Now she would finally have the chance to actually buy for and decorate her own room just the way she wanted it. Her mother didn't have the money to let her do that kind of thing. From the looks of it, Nick was at least somewhat wealthier than her mother.

"Uhhh…where am I gonna go to school?" She asked next.

That was something Nick and Sara had discussed at length. They had decided to send Carly to a private Montessori school and could afford it. Foothills also offered a middle school program, but there were also good public schools, and Catherine raved about Butterfield Academy.

"Well, we thought we'd give you a few options and let you decide." Nick told her. The last thing they wanted to do was send Riley to a school she would absolutely hate. "You could go to Carly's school, public school, or there's also a couple private schools we might be able to afford." He explained.

"Where'd you go in Tucson?"

"Public school. A total crapshoot." She informed him. The school she attended wasn't really in that great of an area, and Riley was pretty bored. The classes and curriculum weren't challenging enough for her, so she didn't put forth much effort to get straight A's.

"I see." He told her as he pulled onto their street. It was almost nine o'clock at night, but he could see the lights on. Carly really wanted to meet her new sister, but he wasn't sure Sara would let her stay up. "Well, once you're settled in, we'll discuss it more."

Carly could tell they must be getting close, since they were in a neighborhood now. Pretty nice neighborhood in fact. About halfway down the block, her father turned the Denali into a driveway. The white, colonial-style two-story house looked back at her, complete with stereotypical green shutters and a front porch. And by golly, there was even a tire swing hanging from a tree in the side yard.

"This is it." Nick announced, pulling into the garage. He turned the car off but didn't get out right away, and neither did Riley. Nick looked over at his daughter, who looked very nervous and uncomfortable.

"You ready?" He asked gently. Riley let out a prolonged sigh, letting it cleanse her. Would she ever be ready? Probably not. But it had to be done.

"I guess so." She told him softly.

"Alright, let's go." Nick opened the door and went to the trunk to get out Riley's things. Riley slung her backpack over her shoulder and waited for her father. He gave her an encouraging smile as they walked towards the door. She was home.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Wooo another chapter. Thanks Emily for your always kind and lengthy reviews. : ) Your comments always make me smile – thanks for reading!! Please enjoy and REVIEW: )

Sara Stokes heard the garage door open moments before, followed by two car doors shutting. Two. That would be one more than she was normal to when Nick arrived home. This was really happening. Nick had just gone to the airport and picked up his teenage daughter who they would be raising for the next five years and beyond.

She stood up from the couch nervously, not sure where she should stand or what she should say. Would it make her uncomfortable to meet her right away? Should she go upstairs and wait for Nick to introduce them? Sara glanced over at her sleeping five year old on the couch. Since it was a Saturday, she had allowed her to stay up as long as she got into her pajamas first. Carly would be looking to her and Nick for guidance about how to interact with Riley, and how to invite her into their lives, but Sara admitted she had no idea what she was doing. This wasn't exactly something she had ever prepared for, or considered happening. Plus, they'd had two days to prepare for this. But somehow Sara knew that even if she had weeks to prepare, it wouldn't make it any easier.

The garage door opened and Sara took a deep, cleansing breath. Nick walked in and offered her a small smile. She could see it in his eyes – already he was completely in love with this child of his. It was the same look he had after the births of their own two children. In a way, this was like Riley's birthday. It was the day she was introduced into their lives.

Nick trailed a large suitcase behind him, and then opened the door a little wider for his follower. He turned back to assist the young girl who came through the door next. The kid was about 5'4", with beautiful dark brown hair, almost exactly Nick's shade, that came just past her shoulders. She had a slender build, and when the girl looked up and met eyes with Sara, she noticed her beautiful blue orbs.

Sara smiled and nodded in welcome, trying to hide the fact that her heart was about to beat out of her chest. Riley stepped in all the way and then shut the door behind her as Nick moved her suitcases out of the way.

"Well, I don't think I'll need to lift any weights anytime soon." He joked, and Riley offered only a small smile at his attempt at humor. She kept her backpack on her shoulders and tucked each of her thumbs into her jean pockets.

"Riley, I'd like you to meet Sara, my wife." He told his daughter, motioning to Sara. She stepped forward and offered her hand to the young girl, and was relieved when she reciprocated. They shared a short, friendly shake, and then her thumbs went back into her jeans.

"It's great to finally meet you, Riley. We've been busy getting everything ready for you." She told the teenager. Riley just nodded and looked around a little bit at her surroundings.

Sara smiled and looked back at the still sleeping Carly. Once she was out, she slept through close to everything. Carly was so excited to meet her new sister, but even that could not overcome her need for sleep. She'd been helping her parents all day moving stuff out of her dad's office and cleaning up the house.

"I'm afraid you might need to wait until tomorrow to meet Carly and Nolan. As you can see, she's conked out." Sara told her. Nick glanced over and smiled at the sight of the sleeping kindergartener.

"That's fine." Carly told her. "I'm just really tired."

"I bet you are." Sara said with sympathy in her voice. "Nick, do you wanna take Carly to bed, and I'll show Riley where she'll be staying?"

Nick nodded his head and looked at Riley to make sure she was comfortable with this. All these new people were probably overwhelming to her right now.

"I'll come check on you in a few minutes." Nick told Riley, giving her shoulder a pat.

"Okay." Was all she said before Nick walked over to a sleeping Carly and scooped her up in his arms. Riley watched him curiously as he carefully cradled the little girl in his arms, watching to make sure he didn't disturb her. He seemed like a good dad from just this alone, but so did her stepfather to begin with. Nick pressed a tender kiss to Carly's head and then went up the stairs.

Sara had since turned to the large suitcase to take it on. Riley was surprised at how much strength the slender woman had as she began pulling it towards another part of the house.

"Alright, Riley. Let's get you settled in." She said as the girl followed her with the other purple suitcase. After a bit of struggling, they arrived in a room along the back of the house. The room had turned a complete 180 to how it had looked two days ago, and they knew the transformation was not yet over.

The room housed a twin-sized bed with a light blue comforter Sara had hung onto from her single years. A full-length mirror stood in the corner of the room, next to a small filing cabinet they hadn't figured out where to put yet.

Sara sighed as she set the suitcase by one of the walls and looked around at the bare room.

"I know it's not much right now, but once you're settled, we'll take you out to buy some furniture, and a new bedspread, and anything else you need. Okay?" She asked gently, watching Riley eyeing the less-than-stellar room.

"Alright." Riley answered softly, looking around more until her eyes settled again on Sara's face. She seemed nice so far too, but Riley wondered if that would change once they got to know her more.

"I left a towel on your bed, and let me show you where the bathroom is in case you need it during the night." Sara told her, and stepped towards the door again. Riley silently followed as Sara led her to the downstairs half bathroom, and then showed her upstairs to where the shower was.

"And there's extra towels in the closet in the hallway if you need any." Sara told her just as Nick was stepping out of Carly's bedroom. He shut the door quietly behind him and walked over to where Sara and Riley were standing in the doorway.

"Did Sara show you around?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I guess. Pretty much." She answered, giving a one-shouldered shrug.

"Well, tomorrow you can wander around a little more, and meet Carly and Nolan." He reminded her. Nick hesitated to call them her brother and sister, because he wasn't sure if that would upset her.

Riley nodded. "I guess I'll just go to bed now then. I'm tired." She told her new parents uncomfortably.

"Okay." Nick agreed, watching her closely, but trying not to stare. He just couldn't get over the fact that this was his kid standing in front of him. All the things he had missed so far – he just wanted to stay up and talk to her about everything about her life. However, he knew Riley was exhausted and overwhelmed. All the catching up would come in time.

"If you need anything, our room's right there." He told her, motioning to their door. "And…I guess we'll see you in the morning." Nick smiled a little.

"Yeah. See you in the morning." She told them, turning to go back down the stairs. As she reached the top step, Nick's voice stopped her.

"And Riley?" She turned to look at him. "I know this is hard, but we're really glad you're here."

Riley looked a little uncomfortable and just nodded her head. "Thanks."

The thirteen year old then turned again and walked down the stairs to her new bedroom. Nick and Sara watched her go, and as she disappeared, Nick brought his wife into a hug. Neither said anything for a few moments, just holding each other. They both let out a huge breath they didn't realize they'd been holding.

"Well, that's not something I get to do every day." Nick finally commented as he stroked Sara's back, still embracing.

"No." Sara chuckled a little. "She seems great, Nick. Uncomfortable for the time being, but she seems like a sweet girl."

"I can't wait to get to know her more." Nick whispered. "But I think it'll take some time for her to let us in." He said honestly. Trust would have to be built first, and he knew from his experience with kids that it was sometimes hardest with teens.

"Yeah. We'll just take our time. Let's not push her."

Nick pulled back and gave his wife a tender kiss.

"Thank you." He whispered. "For being so understanding. I love you so much."

Sara smiled at the crazy situation. "I love you too. I married you for better or worse, but I never imagined this situation." She joked. "Not that it's bad, but you know."

"I know." He smirked, his laugh lines appearing.

Sara hung her arms loosely around Nick's waist and leaned back a little. "You better not have any more illegitimate Stokes children running around though." She poked.

Nick cleared his throat a little and looked away at her teasing.

"You're lucky I still love you after that one." Nick commented at her low blow. He kissed her forehead and then pulled away, taking her hand. "Come on. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

They stepped into their bedroom together, both tired from all the emotion of the day.

"Hopefully Carly won't wake up mad that she didn't get to meet Riley last night." Sara commented as they settled down in bed a few minutes later.

Nick smiled as laid down. "I'm sure we'll hear about it." He agreed. "We just need to make sure she doesn't wander in there before Riley wakes up. I doubt that's how she'd like to be introduced."

The couple exchanged a few more words and sweet kisses before finally settling into each other's arms for some well-deserved sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! They went up for the last chapter, and I was so happy: ) Emily, you're crazy. But now I have my own personal soundtrack to this story. Thanks, haha.

Riley Michelle Groves slowly awoke the next morning, rubbing at her eyes tiredly. She looked at her watch and saw that it was almost nine o'clock. She'd been in bed almost twelve hours, but it sure didn't feel like it. Riley had woken up many times during the night, feeling uncomfortable in a different bed. As she stared up at the ceiling, she heard several voices in the living room and kitchen. She identified Nick and Sara's voices talking softly.

Riley turned onto her side and realized she could sense someone watching her. She glanced over at her door, which was cracked open slightly, and found a little eye staring at her from about three and a half feet up. When the eye saw she was looking at her, the body it was connected to giggled and scampered off towards the kitchen.

Riley sighed and rubbed a hand over her face. Carly, she assumed. The day would no doubt be filled with meeting new people that she didn't care to meet. As far as Riley was concerned, she'd be more content just boxing herself up in this room for the next few months. She had no desire right now to make a new life for herself, with new friends and new enemies.

Out in the kitchen, Nick and Sara both glanced down from where they were standing in the kitchen as Carly came skipping into the room, giggling. Sara was nursing a cup of coffee, still in her pajamas, leaning back against the counter.

"What's going on, giggle bug?" She asked Carly, smiling as she grabbed onto her waist in a warm hug. Sara lovingly played with her daughter's beautiful dark brown hair.

"I think Riley's awake now." She reported, with a gleam in her eye.

"Is she?" Sara questioned her. "I thought Daddy and I told you not to go bother her." She reminded her young daughter.

"I didn't bother her! I just peeked in the door and she looked at me." She defended herself with mischief in her voice.

Nick smirked from where he was rinsing out his coffee mug at the sink. Carly was just desperate to meet his daughter. She'd had her little pout in the morning when she woke up in her bed, realizing she'd fallen asleep before Riley had arrived. She'd demanded why they hadn't woken her up.

"She's gonna think we have a Peeping Tom in our family." Nick commented as he set the mug down and walked over to where she and Sara were standing.

"What's a Peeping Tom?" Carly asked as her father scooped her up and planted several kisses on her cheek.

"Someone who likes to spy on people." Nick simply explained as he walked over to the stairs. He set her down at the foot of the stairs.

"You need to go get dressed." Nick informed her, giving her two light pats on the bottom to get her moving.

"Ow." She complained as she began to walk up the stairs. However, she stopped on the third step.

"Do I get to meet her when I come back down?" Carly asked of her parents. She'd made a card for Riley, and also planned on giving her a stuffed animal as a room-warming gift.

"When she's ready, she'll come out." Sara told her, shaking her head a little. Carly sighed and continued her ascent up the stairs.

"Poor kid's gonna be bombarded." Nick commented, smiling a little as Sara stepped forward and wrapped her arms loosely around his waist as he leaned against the counter. She smiled before leaning forward to capture his lips in a slow, tender kiss.

"Maybe, but she'll be loved." She told him. Nick nodded and bent down for another sweet kiss. They exchanged several more slow kisses, taking the time to enjoy each other, before they heard movement in Nick's former office.

Both pulled away and Sara turned to put her mug in the sink.

"Sounds like she's moving." She commented as she rinsed it out and set it down. It was odd having someone else in the house – almost like a houseguest that you had to behave yourself around, but this one was permanent.

Riley groggily stepped out of her bedroom a little after 9:15 after throwing a hoodie over her standard tank top, rubbing at her tired eyes. She tried to remember the layout of the house as she moved towards the bathroom. The teen yawned as she examined a few blemishes on her face, then brushed her teeth and used the restroom. She wasn't sure exactly what they expected her to do, but Riley decided to wander out to the kitchen to find herself some breakfast.

"Good morning." Nick greeted her as she entered the kitchen. Riley looked back and forth between Nick and Sara. She could tell they'd probably been going about their daily lives, but stopped when they heard her coming. They were both standing in the middle of the kitchen, not really doing anything. Who just stood in the kitchen? Riley felt like she was interrupting their lives.

"Morning." She greeted them, sticking her hands in the pocket of her hooded sweatshirt. Sara smiled at her, and Riley decided she didn't like the way they were just looking at her. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, not at all." Sara quickly told her, moving towards the cabinet they kept cereal in. "Would you like some breakfast?"

Riley scratched at the top of her messy bun for a moment. "You got any soda?" She asked them.

"Soda?" Sara asked her, pausing her opening of the cabinet. "For breakfast?"

Riley nodded her head, wondering why she thought that was so weird. Sure it wasn't that healthy, but that's what she was used to.

"It helps wake me up." She told them.

Nick and Sara exchanged a look but Nick opened up the refrigerator.

"Diet Coke alright?" He asked her, deciding it wouldn't be wise to get picky with her about her diet on her first day here.

"Got any regular?"

"Nope, sorry." He told her, picking up one of the few cans of soda they kept in the house. Both he and Sara ate pretty healthily, and they didn't buy a lot of sugary things for Carly.

"Diet's fine." She told him, holding out her hand to accept the beverage. Nick handed it over to his daughter, and she walked over to the breakfast bar. He realized this was one of many small discoveries he would be making about his daughter every day now. And hopefully as she opened up, he would learn even more important things about her. But for now, he knew she liked everything but country, and liked soda for breakfast.

"We'll have to go shopping later." He told her. "Anything to eat?"

Riley cracked the can open and shook her head, taking her first sip. Sara looked away and busied herself with something else. It was hard for a health nut to watch.

A few moments later, Carly's footsteps sounded on the stairs. She tripped about halfway, because she was so excited that Riley might be down there. Finally, she reached the bottom and she looked at her parents excitedly.

"Is she here?" She asked them in quite a loud voice. Nick motioned with his head towards the breakfast bar. Carly's eyes followed the motion and her eyes fell upon Riley, sipping her Diet Coke. All of a sudden, the nervousness struck her and she just stared at this new person.

Nick took Carly's hand and led her around the breakfast bar until they were a couple feet away from Riley. Carly held her father's hand not tightly, but not loosely and stared a bit wide-eyed at her half-sister.

"Riley, this is my daughter Carly." He told the teenager, causing her to turn on the stool to face the younger child.

"Hey, Carly. How's it going?" She asked the little girl.

Carly studied her closely and didn't answer the question, sticking one finger in her mouth to play with her cheek. Nick shook his head and let go of her hand, ruffling her hair instead.

"She gets a little shy around new people." He explained, and then bent down so he could whisper in Carly's ear. "Can you answer her question, Carly?" Nick prompted her, gently removing her finger from her mouth.

Carly didn't take her eyes off of her and flashed a toothy grin. "Hi Riley. I'm doin' good." She answered a bit shyly, reaching her arms back to hold her father's hands again.

Nick shook his head again and smiled a little at Riley, apologizing for her sudden shy bout. He took Carly's wrists and pulled her up off of her feet, causing her to giggle. He repeated this action several times and then tickled her sides.

"Go see Mommy, you little booger." He told her. Carly giggled and ran towards her mother in the kitchen. She soon attached herself to her mother's leg while she sifted through some mail.

"She's a lot of fun once you get to know her." Nick told her, watching his daughter interact with his wife in the kitchen.

"I bet." Riley told him, then took another sip of Diet Coke. Nick turned back to his oldest.

"Well, I'm gonna go get Nolan up. Why don't you get dressed and then we'll go grocery shopping to buy some stuff you like." He suggested, checking his watch. Nick was not one who liked to laze around all day on the weekends, but he could sense Riley was.

"Alright." She said, taking the last swig from her can. Riley then hopped off the stool, taking her can into the kitchen to throw it away. She disappeared into her bedroom as Nick went up the stairs to get Nolan.

"Are you gonna give Riley her card?" Sara stroked Carly's hair as she concentrated on a piece of mail.

"Oopsie. I forgot." She told her mother, wrapping her arms around her waist and burying her cheek in her side.

"That's okay. You can give it to her later." She assured her.

"She's pretty." Carly commented, still hugging her mother loosely.

Sara looked down at her and stroked her hair over one shoulder. "Yes she is. And so are you my dear."

"Love you, Mommy." Carly told her, giving her one last firm hug before dashing off to the living room to find the card she made for her new sister. Sara smiled at her after saying that she loved her back, and shook her head.

About forty-five minutes later, the family of five was finally ready to go, after Riley's extra-long shower and lengthy time in front of the mirror. She self-consciously played with her straight hair as she sat on one of the couch, her other arm crossed over her chest as she waited for Nick to load up Nolan in his portable car seat.

She watched uncomfortably as Nick spoke softly to his son and Carly babbled on to her mother. Riley knew she wasn't part of this family yet. This was not her family, nor did she want it to be at this point. She bit back a few tears as she realized that at this time last week, she was lounging on the couch with her mother. How could life change so much so quickly?

"You ready to go?" Nick asked her as picked up the car seat, with a gurgling Nolan inside.

"Yeah." She told him, struggling to compose herself and hide her emotions in her voice. Nick noticed, despite her attempt to cover it up, but didn't know what she wanted or expected from him.

"Okay. Let's hit the road." He announced to everyone. Nick caught up to Riley as she walked out the door, and gave her a pat on the back, bit didn't say a word. Riley accepted his gentle touch, but wasn't sure if doing so was a betrayal of her past life, or the beginning of the acceptance of her new one.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! Emily makes me giggle. So glad you like the story so much. : ) Enjoy, and please let me know what you think, even if it's just a couple words.

"One hundred twenty-four dollars and thirty-seven cents is your total." The check-out girl informed Nick after ringing up the Stokes family groceries. Nick whistled as he handed over his debit card. That had gone up significantly. Granted, he'd allowed Riley to put in quite a bit, so she'd have plenty of choices to snack on. He'd been told by Catherine that teenagers could have quite a ravenous appetite.

Sara and Nick exchanged raised eyebrows, but didn't comment as the debit card was processed. Nolan gurgled in the child seat, reaching up for Sara as Carly played with his "itsy bitsy teeny weeny" shoes, as she liked to put it. She thought all of Nolan's things were just so adorable since they were so tiny.

"Carly, I don't think your brother likes you messing with his feet." Sara told her gently. Carly smiled up at her mother innocently and ripped at his tiny Velcroes. Sara raised her eyebrows and gave her a look, and she quickly ceased.

"Momma, can I get some M&M's?" Carly asked in her sweetest voice, taking her mother's hand in hers.

"You already know the answer to that sweetheart." Sara told her simply. They had worked hard and consistently with Carly to ensure there wouldn't be any tantrum-throwing in public places. The last time they'd had an 'incident' was when she was three, and Carly had been taken straight home and put in time-out.

"But Riley's getting some." Carly pointed out, still holding her mother's hand. Sara looked back in the line and saw Riley flipping through one of the gossip magazines. She also had a bag of M&M's in her hand. Nick also looked over at his oldest and saw what Carly was talking about.

"Riley, we've already paid." He told her, accepting the receipt from the sales girl. Riley didn't take her eyes off her TeenPeople magazine as she fished her little change purse from her back pocket.

"I've got some of my own money." She told them, setting the magazine and M&M's down on the belt so they could be scanned.

They heard an audible annoyed sound from Carly as she crossed her arms over her chest. Sara gave her husband a look as if to tell him to intervene, but he just lifted one shoulder slightly. It was her money. What right did he have to tell her not to use it?

Sara looked away from her husband, slightly annoyed, because she knew they'd be dealing with some pouting from Carly. She'd just been told no, and Riley had just gone and done the same thing.

Nick felt like he was in the hot seat, torn between Riley and his wife. He hoped that this wouldn't be how it was whenever Riley did something Sara didn't like. It seemed Sara expected him to step in, saying it was his kid and he needed to deal with it.

"Momma, why does she get some?" Carly moaned and whimpered, tugging on Sara's arm unhappily. It had been a lengthy shopping trip today, taking a bit longer than it normally did. Sara could tell she was getting cranky and moody, and this situation didn't help.

"Carly, she has some of her own money." Sara explained as the magazine and candy was rung up. Of course, she hadn't used it to buy the 24-pack of Mountain Dew that was in the cart.

"Well, can I have some of my own money?" The kindergartener asked, still whimpering.

"No." Sara told her firmly. "If you keep it up, you'll be in time-out when we get home. You have plenty of Halloween candy left."

Carly whimpered and decided it was wise to not test her mother anymore. She still held her hand and played angrily with her bottom lip as the check out girl handed Riley her two items.

"Thank you. Have a nice day." She smiled at the family. Sara gave her a small smile and began pushing the cart towards the door. She tried not to be angry at the situation, but couldn't help but be a little ticked. It was still just her second day here. She reminded herself she needed to cut Riley some slack – but at what expense with Carly?

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

The family arrived home about fifteen minutes later after a relatively quiet ride home. Riley knew her little purchase may have caused some waves, so she tucked them away until she could eat and read in her bedroom. She'd never had a little sibling before, so she hadn't realized what a big deal it would be.

Riley helped unload the Denali upon their arrival, and even Carly carried a light bag inside, setting it on the floor in the kitchen. It was a flurry of activity the next ten minutes as all the items were put away in their designated places. Carly was being a big help to Riley, gladly showing her where all the food items belonged.

"And the soda goooooeeees…" Carly put a finger to her lip and looked around, not quite sure. They hardly ever had soda in the house. Nick smiled and opened the walk-in pantry.

"Right in here is fine." He told the two girls. Riley nodded and lugged the 24-pack into the pantry and then opened it to put a few cans in the fridge to cool.

"Mommy and Daddy say that stuff rots your teeth." Carly informed her half-sister, just as an observation. Riley smiled a little as she walked out with an armful of cans.

"So I've heard." She replied. "That's okay, I'm used to it."

Carly gaped a little bit as she watched her sister load them into the refrigerator. She was used to rotten teeth?

"You had cavities?" She asked incredulously. Carly had never suffered a single cavity in her five years on the planet and hoped to keep it that way. She brushed twice a day and her mother helped her floss a couple times a week.

Riley nodded. "Uh-huh."

"How many?"

Riley twisted her lips to one side and thought for a moment, then shrugged.

"I lost count." She said honestly. Carly looked at her in complete shock.

"What's a cavity look like?"

"Here, you can see some of the fillings in my mouth." Riley said, bending down and opening her mouth wide. Carly giggled a little and then leaned forward to look inside. Nick and Sara looked at each other in amusement, and a bit in concern. Their dentist bills were going to be off the chain with this new inhabitant.

"Woooaaaaahhh there's so many." Carly commented as she examined her sister's mouth. "Daddy, lookit."

"No thanks, pumpkin." He said as he started up the coffee maker again. "I'll take your word for it."

Riley stood and ran her tongue around some of her teeth. They probably thought she was a freak now.

"My parents didn't have good dental insurance, so I didn't go much." She explained, but knew that was only half the problem. Riley loved sugar and candy, and she knew it. Luckily, she had some good metabolism.

Carly was beginning to think her new older sister was really cool. She looked up at her in awe for a few moments, just studying her.

"How many earrings do you have in your ears?" She asked, hoping to get a better look. Riley tilted her head to the side so Carly could see.

"Three in each ear." She moved her head the other way so her sister could see. "And one in my belly button."

Nick and Sara's faces both dropped simultaneously, neither knowing quite what to say as she lifted her shirt slightly and showed Carly her belly ring, poking at it slightly.

"See?"

Carly was staring dazed at her belly button, just thinking of how much it would hurt as her parents both exchanged shocked glances.

"Owie." She said, grimacing. "Doesn't it hurt?"

Riley smiled and shook her head. "No. It hurt for a few seconds when they put it in, but…" She looked up at Nick and Sara and could tell they were uncomfortable and probably didn't approve. She quickly dropped her shirt and smoothed the fabric out, clearing her throat. "Sorry."

Carly's mouth was still wide open when she ran back to her mother.

"Momma, she has an earring in her stomach!" She grabbed Sara's hands, as if that would help her mother believe her more.

"I saw, sweetheart." Sara stroked Carly's hair, hoping she would never have to have the belly button ring argument with her. It would definitely be a no. "Would you like me to braid your hair?"

Carly nodded excitedly and Nick cleared his throat, knowing his wife was trying to draw attention away from the current situation and focus Carly on something else less...controversial.

"Go get the hairbrush and two hair ties." Sara told her, giving her a little push. Carly happily run off up the stairs.

Riley scratched a little behind her ear after Carly left, stuck now with her two new parents.

"Uhh…sorry, I hope I didn't go too far." She told them.

Nick smiled, "It's okay, Riley." He told her, though he knew he'd be hearing about this later from Sara. Nick could tell right now that Sara didn't think his daughter would be a good influence on Carly. However, the kid needed her space right now and a little understanding. She'd just lost her mother, after all.

Sara didn't say anything, busying herself with the coffee maker which was now boiling and ready. Riley winced a little.

"Well, I'm gonna go read my magazine in my room." She decided, rubbing one forearm a little uncomfortably. "I'll see you later."

With that, she turned and quickly scurried off towards her bedroom to enjoy her TeenPeople magazine and M&M's. She shut the door and collapsed onto her bed, sighing. Already, she was getting the sense that Sara didn't like her all that much. Well, maybe that was overstating it. She didn't want her having a bad influence on her precious, perfect, well-disciplined little Carly.

Back in the kitchen, Sara let out a huge breath and leaned on the counter with both hands. Nick came to stand beside her and soothingly rubbed her lower back with one hand.

"Sar…"

"Don't say anything right now, Nick." She cut him off. "Just…we'll talk later." Sara waved one of her hands around as Nick continued to stroke her back.

"She comes from a different world, obviously, Sar." Nick continued anyway.

"I know, Nick. Just…please." She told him, a slight irritation evident in her voice. Sara didn't look at him as she spoke, not wanting to get into a conversation or argument right now.

"Okay." Nick whispered, watching her closely. Just then, Carly came bounding down the stairs again with her hairbrush and two hair ties as her mother had requested.

"Mommy, I'm ready!" She announced, running over to the couch and plopping herself down on the floor.

Sara pushed herself away from the counter to a standing position, but Nick caught her with one arm. She sighed and forced herself to look at him, and was met with questioning eyes. Nick reached up gently and stroked her cheek with his fingers.

"I'm fine, Nick." She told him softly. "This is just going to take some time to get used to, and some adjusting on all our parts."

Nick nodded. "Yeah." He whispered, stroking her beautiful face gently. Nick leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss. "I love you, and we can talk later."

Sara nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. "Love you too."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks again to those who reviewed! The number of reviews for this fic is crazy up and down! Let me know you're still reading: ) Oh, and I started a C2 called Snicker Babies! Sign up if you like reading Nick and Sara fics with offspring. Enjoy…

Nick and Sara had requested time off from work to help Riley settle into her new home. They had so many loose ends to tie up and things to finalize, such as where she would go to school and getting her room set up. On Sunday evening, Riley had spent over an hour online looking at bedroom décor on the Target, Wal-Mart, Kohl's, and Bed Bath & Beyond websites. She'd found several possibilities which they were going to check out the next day, along with several area schools.

"Can't I stay home with you Momma?" Carly pleaded as a last resort as her mother pulled the Denali up to Foothills Montessori School. It didn't seem fair to the kindergartener that everyone else got to stay home and she had to go to school.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but you need to go to school. You love school." Sara reminded her, though it wasn't doing much for her case. She knew Carly felt left out.

"But I love you and Daddy more!" Carly tried, flashing her best puppy dog eyes. Sara couldn't help but smirk at that answer.

"I know you do, but school is very important. Now go." Sara told her, firmly but gently. Carly growled a little as she pushed the door open. "I love you."

"Love you too." Carly muttered a bit sadly, giving Sara the most heartbreaking look. She shut the door and walked slowly towards the front door of her school. From the Denali, Sara sighed as she put the car in drive. That girl was going to be a real heartbreaker someday.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

Back at the Stokes home, Nick was quickly learning that Riley did not like to get up early in the morning. At 8:30, he knocked on her door for the third time.

"Riley…" He called, trying not to sound like he was warning her, but kind of thought he needed to. "Sara's gonna be back any minute. We're due at the middle school at 9:30."

Riley rolled over in bed again and rubbed at her face. What did this family have against sleeping? They didn't have to leave until 9:15, and he started calling her at eight. Riley had an amazing ability to get ready in less than a half hour in the morning, fully showered and looking immaculate. She let out some kind of groan, and Nick decided this time to walk over to her bed.

Coffee mug in hand, he sat on the edge and looked down at her. Though he wasn't quite sure what was appropriate yet, he reached out and rubbed her upper arm gently.

"C'mon, sweetheart. Why don't you hop in the shower?" He suggested.

Riley mumbled something incoherent, and Nick smirked a little.

"You need a Mountain Dew to get you going?"

Riley smiled and her eyes fluttered open to look up at him. She had very rarely been woken up like this by her mother or stepfather. The teen had only been living with him for two days, and already she was worthy of being woken up with such love? Maybe living here would have its good points.

"That'd be good." She managed, slowly sitting up. Nick ruffled her hair and stood up, having the instinct to kiss her forehead, be he refrained. He didn't want to push his doting dad luck just yet.

"Go hop in the shower and I'll have one waiting." Nick walked to the door with his coffee mug in hand, glancing back to make sure she was actually moving. He smiled when he saw her swing her legs over the edge.

As he went into the kitchen, the garage door opened, and Sara walked in after dropping Carly off at kindergarten. Nolan was sitting on the living room floor, playing with a Fisher Price device that he could push buttons on and cause a ruckus. He gurgled happily when he saw his mother walk in.

Sara smiled and bent down as she neared him. "Hey, little guy." She greeted him, tickling his head a little bit. He made some little noises of glee as Sara pressed some of the buttons on his toy.

"Hey, babe." Nick greeted her from the kitchen, smiling at how she was acting. Who ever knew that Sara Sidle, master CSI, would one day be oogling and speaking in baby language to her son. She was a wonderful mother, though it had scared her to no end at first.

"Hey." Sara picked up her young son, who was getting into the crawling stage of his development. Well, in his case, it was really scooting and dragging himself around. She bobbed her son up and down a little as she carried him into the kitchen. Nick tickled Nolan's stomach and then kissed Sara gently as she came to stand by him.

"I already changed him once since he's gotten up." Nick informed his wife.

Sara shook her head. "I'll certainly be glad when he's potty trained." She commented as Nolan chewed on his fingers. "Is Riley up?"

"Yeah." He could hear the shower starting in the background. "She's not a morning person."

"No, it doesn't seem that way." Sara agreed, readjusting Nolan on her hip. She checked her watch. "Is she gonna be ready in time?"

"I hope so." Nick commented as he got out a bottle to fill up for Nolan for their outing. "So, we're visiting Las Vegas Middle at 9:30, and then Butterfield at noon?" He checked.

Sara nodded her head and set Nolan down on the counter. "Yeah. I have a feeling she won't go for Butterfield, though."

Nick smirked and looked over at Sara. "What makes you say that?"

Sara laughed a little. "Everything about her screams non-conformist. She'd go crazy at a private school."

"Yeah, I'm getting that feeling too." Nick admitted, watching as Sara fished out some of Nolan's little shoes from just around the corner and attempted to put them on. They'd had a long talk last night about Riley and how she was going to fit in. Both agreed she seemed like a nice kid, but could sense raising her would not be a walk in the park. Her mother and stepfather appeared to have been a bit loosey-goosy with her upbringing, as evidenced by her piercings, dress, and eating habits. They decided they'd need to sit her down soon to go over some ground rules, especially when she went back to school.

"LVM is a good school." Nick assured her. "And it's free."

Sara nodded her head and smiled a little. "Free is always good." They had been able to plan for the payment of Carly's private school bills, but had been a bit thrown at the idea of yet more tuition to pay. Now they would need to start planning for Riley to go to college in five short years. Their finances were all a mess at the moment.

Sara finally managed to get both of Nolan's shoes on, and then set him on the floor so he could semi-crawl around. Nick and Sara took the opportunity to share a few slow, tender kisses as he gurgled from the floor. The shower turned off moments later.

"Mmmm. I need to start a load of laundry." Sara told her husband, breaking off their kiss. Nick leaned back in, trying to distract her, and Sara laughed. She lightly swatted him on the arm. "Nicky."

"Alright, alright." He sighed and let her go. Nick sniffed the air, thinking he could smell something foul. "Smells like I need to change Nolan again anyway."

Sara giggled a little as Nick scooped up their son. Nick held him up, as if examining him as a suspect. The little boy's eyes twinkled as he stuffed a teething ring into his mouth. "Da!" He pointed to Nick and dropped his teething ring.

Nick beamed in pride and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "You need to be nicer to Da and quit dropping so many stink bombs." He teased his son, bringing him into his arms then turned to Sara. "I'll be back."

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

At about 10:30, Nick, Sara, Riley and a sleeping Nolan walked out the front doors of Las Vegas Middle School, with an information packet in hand. Riley pulled her sunglasses into place as they walked down the steps.

"So what do you think?" Nick asked, following closely behind his daughter carrying Nolan in his arms.

Riley shrugged and sighed. "It's a school. It seems normal enough." She had never been a big fan of school – it was boring and she had to get up early.

Sara and Nick looked at each other. "You think you might like to go here?" She asked Riley as they reached the Denali.

"I might be able to tolerate it." She sighed as she pulled the door open. Nick loaded Nolan into his car seat and buckled him in, and soon everyone was ready to go.

"How about some lunch?" Nick suggested as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"Sounds good." Sara said. "As long as it's somewhere with salads."

"That'd be cool." Riley told them. "How about McDonald's."

"McDonald's it is." Nick decided and took a left turn at the next stoplight. He looked at Riley in the rearview mirror, observing her as she stared out the window. He wished he knew what she was thinking and feeling. She didn't seem that excited about LVM and school in general.

"So, Riley. What kind of classes did you take at your old school?" He asked, keeping his eye on the road, but glancing in the mirror every once in a while.

"What do you mean?" She crinkled her eyebrows.

"You seem like a smart girl. Did you take any accelerated classes?" He asked in honesty.

Riley wasn't sure if he was complimenting her or not. She guessed he was, which felt kind of good. "No…my school didn't offer any. And I wouldn't want to be stuck in a classroom with a bunch of nerds anyway."

Sara bit her lip a little and smirked at Nick.

"Nerds?" He asked her, with amusement in his voice. "Sara and I were in those kind of classes. You don't think we're nerds, do you?"

Riley winced a little. Oops. "I plead the fifth."

Nick laughed out loud at that one. "See, you're a smart cookie. Fifth Amendment. The right to not self-incriminate. What kind of test scores did you get on the state tests?"

"I don't know." She lied. "I never paid attention to them." Riley always tested in at least the top ten percent of kids in her age group. She knew she was smart, but all that had meant to her so far was that she could get good grades without trying.

Nick nodded and pulled into the McDonald's parking lot. "Well, your old school will be sending their records once we decide on a school. Then we can figure out what classes to put you in."

Riley didn't like the sound of that. They better not be thinking of putting her in any smart kid classes. Those kids actually did work.

"I don't want to be in those kind of classes." She blurted a little loudly as Nick turned the ignition off. Her father turned in his seat to look at her questioningly.

"Sweetheart, we don't have to decide anything today." He assured her. "We're just looking at our options, okay?"

Riley took a cleansing breath. She could hear her mother's voice again telling her not to be a drama queen. Not to get ahead of herself and say something stupid.

"Okay." She agreed quietly.

"Alright." Nick nodded his head, still looking at her. "Let's go get some lunch."

The family then filed into the restaurant for some food before their next stop at Butterfield Academy that afternoon. Riley was getting the feeling that Nick and Sara would be expecting more of her than her mother ever did. She wasn't sure if she liked that idea or not, but knew that she'd be starting school in the next few days and would be figuring that out.


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! The pace has been a little slow so far, I know, but I promise it will pick up and there will be more drama to come! Good, juicy stuff! Until then, I'm just trying to establish the uneasiness and Riley's character. Hope you like it so far, and please review!

"I think that's the last of it." Nick rubbed a tired arm over his slightly sweaty forehead and let the hammer fall to the ground of his former office. He had just finished putting together Riley's 'easy to assemble' white bureau drawers, nightstand, and desk. Nick had quickly decided perhaps it wasn't quite as simple as the box had boasted.

Riley smiled as Sara helped her put the new fitted sheet over her bed. She'd just decided on a trendy set she'd found online at the Kohl's store, and they picked it up at the store. It had a light blue and silver flowery theme she just loved. Her best friend Allison would go nuts over it.

"I think it is." Sara agreed as he began to unfold the white linen sheet that would go over the mattress. "What do you think so far?" She directed the teen. Given the price tag, it better be damn near perfect.

"I like it." She told them simply, looking around. The room was definitely coming around. It needed a little fresh paint and some posters, but that would come soon. Nick grunted as he moved her desk into the designated spot.

"You like where everything is?" He checked, his face contorting a bit in exhaustion. Nick put his hands on his hips and let out a breath as he surveyed the room.

Riley assessed the placement. "Yeah, it's good Nick. Thanks." She received a corner of the sheet and assisted Sara tucking it into place.

Carly and Nolan were already in bed for the night while their parents put the room together. At least, they were supposed to be. Carly was very quietly tiptoeing down the stairs, wanting to hang around for the completion of the room. She still didn't understand why they all got to stay up and hang out together and she had to go to bed. Where was the justice? As she neared the door to Riley's room, she could hear her parents' and half sister's voices.

"So, have you decided on a school?" Sara asked her, putting on a pillowcase.

Riley laughed a little. "How about none of them?" She kind of joked, but deep down really wasn't.

The teen had mixed emotions about going back to school. At least it would get her out of the uneasiness of the house and the whole situation, but being a new student at a middle school was like being fed to a pack of wolves. She knew how the new kids had been treated at her old school. They were whispered about and practically put under a microscope for all to see and dissect. Riley really did not want to be put under that kind of scrutiny. She'd have to answer all kinds of uncomfortable questions about where she was from and why she was here. Inevitably, she'd have to explain that her mother and stepfather had died and now she was living with a father who didn't know she existed until a week ago. Well, the kids who actually asked her and didn't decide to make up their own crazy stories and rumors about her would find that out. Yeah, middle school could really suck if you weren't in with the right crowd.

"Sorry, you have to pick one." Nick reminded her, though of course she knew.

"I know." Riley sighed and scratched her ponytail. "I guess Las Vegas Middle would be the most tolerable."

Nick and Sara looked between each other and nodded.

"Alright, sweetheart. If you're sure." Nick told her. "We don't want to rush your decision. Do you need another day to think about it?"

"No, I'm sure." She told them, sitting on her new bed. "I hated Butterfield and Foothills just didn't seem right." Riley thought out loud.

Just then, the door creaked a little bit, and they all looked over to find Carly's eyes peeking in at them. Nick and Sara both sighed in disappointment, and Carly gasped, knowing she'd been caught.

"Carly Nicole, get your bottom in here." Nick told his little daughter. Carly timidly opened the door and stepped in. She clasped her hands behind her back and looked up at them meekly, knowing they weren't happy she was out of bed. Nick folded his arms over his chest. "And just why are you out of bed, young lady?"

Carly lifted one shoulder and stared at the floor.

"Carly, you know that's not an answer." Sara told her daughter.

The little girl sighed and began moments later, "I…I just wanted to see you and see Riley's room." She told them honestly, digging one of her toes into the ground.

"And we told you you'd get to see it in the morning." Nick reminded her in a firm tone. "You are not allowed out of bed."

Nick walked over to his daughter and took her hand. "Say goodnight." He told her.

"Goodnight." She said a little sadly, waving with her other hand. Riley wasn't sure if she should, but she gave the little girl a wave and a sympathetic look. Nick then led the little girl out of the room and back up the stairs to bed, giving her a few more firm words.

After they had left, Riley turned to Sara and sighed as she put one of her large suitcases on the bed to begin unpacking her clothes.

"You guys are really strict." Riley told her. "All she did was get out of bed."

Sara sighed as she unzipped the suitcase. "We have to be with her. She's a little sneak. You wouldn't believe some of the things she's tried." She told Riley honestly as she surveyed some of the clothes on top.

Riley crinkled her eyebrows a little. She doubted the worst thing Carly had ever done wasn't half as bad as some of the things she'd done. "I'll take your word for it."

Riley and Sara began to unpack her clothes and put them in the drawers and in the closet. They were silent for a minute or so as they began to find places for everything. Sara was taking the opportunity to survey the contents of her wardrobe collection a bit. Some of the items seemed a bit inappropriate for a thirteen year old, but she didn't comment. The girl seemed to like halter tops and had several very small skirts that Sara knew Nick would never approve of. Riley hadn't worn anything too revealing just yet, she thought, not wanting to push any buttons right off the bat.

"You don't like my clothes, do you?" Riley asked out of the blue after a minute of silence. The way Sara was eyeing her clothes was not lost on her.

Sara tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat a little. "Well, we might need to discuss a few of them." She told the teen honestly as she picked up a low-cut tank top.

Riley didn't answer and just kept unpacking. A few awkward moments later, Nick came back into the room after putting Carly back down. He sighed as he entered.

"She's down again for now." Nick told her wife. "But I told her she'd be grounded after school tomorrow if she got up again."

Sara nodded and put a couple shirts away into one of the drawers. She had a feeling Carly was probably feeling a little left out still.

"Need any help?" Nick asked them, scratching the back of his head and yawning. Sara smiled at her husband.

"Sounds like you need to just go to bed." She told him honestly. Sara was definitely in need of some sleep soon. It was almost ten o'clock now, and it had been a long, busy day. Nick smirked as Sara walked over to him. They shared a chaste kiss in the doorway.

"See you in the morning, Riley." He told her, holding his hand up as a goodbye. Riley bid him the same and then concentrated again on her unpacking. After about fifteen minutes, she and Sara had finally finished with both suitcases. Sara zipped them back up and prepared to take them out of the room so she could put them in the basement.

"Thanks for helping, Sara." Riley told her, looking around her room a little bit.

"No problem." Sara told her, tucking some fallen hair behind her ear. "I'm going back to work tomorrow, but Nick will still be around. Maybe you could spend some time together." She suggested.

Riley thought about that for a moment. It excited her a little, but also frightened her. She hadn't been alone with her father really since he'd picked her up from the airport. If they were alone, they might actually have to talk about things. Riley knew it was necessary, but it still worried her. What if she started thinking of her mother and cried in front of him?

"Uhhh…yeah." She acknowledged after a few moments. "That might be good."

Sara gave her a smile and picked up the two empty suitcases. "Well, have a good day tomorrow. I'll see you when I get home from work."

Riley nodded and watched Sara take the cases out of her room. She collapsed onto her fresh new sheets and let out loud breath. A day with her dad. Why did that excite her, but scare her at the same time?

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

The next morning at about ten, Riley had managed to pull herself out of bed after only two calls from Nick. She knew it was the day she'd get to spend time alone with her father – well, Nolan would be tagging along, but he couldn't exactly speak or comprehend what they were saying. Riley tried not to look too excited, but she was.

They had decided to go to a nearby park that had a nice walking path, so Nick loaded up the Denali with Nolan's stroller. He packed several toys to keep the almost one-year-old happy. As they drove to the park, which was about ten minutes away, Nick noticed Riley swinging her feet around a bit nervously. He smiled a little, and reminded himself that they needed to take things slow. Nick didn't want to force anything out of her. He wanted their relationship to be open and honest, not him demanding that she share her feelings.

Nick pulled into a parking lot a few minutes later and shut the Denali off. "Alright, we're here. Everybody out."

Riley smiled a little and opened her door, grabbing her zip-up jacket and tying it around her waist. Nick set up the stroller and then loaded Nolan inside, putting the sun shield down since it was quite bright outside. He began to push it towards one of his favorite trails.

"There's a nice, scenic one this way." He told his daughter as she walked next to him. It was the one he'd found during the mauled jogger case a few years back. "Found it during a case."

Riley walked silently next to him, putting her hands in her pockets. She was really excited and really nervous, and wasn't quite sure how to act. Her stepfather had never taken her out like this. Was this normal? Was this how fathers were supposed to act towards their daughters?

They soon came across an ice cream stand and Nick bought a scoop for both Riley and him, and then continued on silently for a minute or so.

"Don't tell Carly we got ice cream. She'll go nuts." Nick joked as he took a lick of his mint chocolate chip ice cream. Riley smiled and licked at her ice cream as they walked slowly.

"My stepdad never took me out like this. Thanks." She told him honestly. Nick looked over at her, realizing this was the first time she'd divulged anything remotely personal to him.

"No problem, sweetheart." He told her, pushing the stroller with one hand. Nick didn't want to push it, but he wanted to know more about her past life. He decided he needed to go for it. "So…what were your mom and stepdad like?"

Riley shrugged and smiled a little to herself that he'd asked such a question. "Well, I think all teenagers are supposed to hate their parents a little bit." She started. "I guess I really liked my mom when we weren't arguing about stuff."

Nick watched her closely as they continued walking, not wanting to upset her. "What was she like when you weren't arguing?"

Riley laughed. They fought all the time. "I guess she was kind of a free spirit. She liked to do what she felt like doing, which was fun for a kid at times. Like randomly getting a day off school because she felt like taking me to a water park."

Nick smiled and nodded a little, and just let her continue on.

"Or then there was the other side, when she would go out at night and leave me home alone." She told him, trying not to sound too sad about it. Riley had survived up until that point on toughness alone. She had to have thick skin with the family she had. This sharing feelings thing was a little weird, but it felt kind of good too.

"Mmmm I bet that was hard for a kid." Nick acknowledged as they continued on slowly. "How'd you deal with that?"

Riley sighed as she thought for a moment. What could he handle knowing at this point, and what did she want him to know? "Sometimes I went to a friend's house, or just watched tv all night. Stuff like that."

"Your stepdad wasn't home?"

"Uhh…sometimes." Those were the worst nights. "He mostly just stayed away from me. He didn't like me that much. Sometimes he went out with my mom."

Nick just nodded, taking all this new information in. He could sense that Riley's home life had not been all rainbows and butterflies up until now. She actually seemed to have a bit of a lonely existence.

"I see." Nick observed. "How old were you when your stepdad got married to your mom?"

"Uhhh…four I think. I was the flowergirl." She smiled a little at one of the happy moments in her life.

"I bet you were a cute one." Nick told her. He would give anything to get to rewind and get to experience Riley growing up, and all those moments he missed.

"My friend Allison's shipping all my stuff, so I can show you pictures later." She promised him.

"I'd like that." Nick told her as they both came close to finishing off their cones. He noticed a bench coming up nearby. "Wanna sit down for a while?"

Riley agreed, so they sat down, and Nick angled Nolan's stroller so he was facing him. Nolan had since nodded off, so Nick made sure he was snug before leaning back on the bench. Riley took one final crunch of her cone, and it was gone.

"Was it good?" Nick asked, watching as she wiped her mouth with her napkin. Riley nodded since she was finishing chewing. He let it be silent for several prolonged moments, then decided to probe a little farther.

"So I get the sense you and your parents didn't get along that well." He observed a bit bluntly. In his family growing up, communication between all his siblings and his parents were as open as they could be. His father always said that you couldn't deal with things you didn't acknowledge.

Riley avoided eye contact, and gripped the edge of the bench a bit uncomfortably, nodding. "They weren't always my favorite people." She whispered.

"Yeah." Nick was about to say more when Riley went on, as if she'd been desperate to talk to someone, anyone who would listen.

"And that's why I don't understand why I miss 'em so much." She confessed, biting back tears. Riley had wished death on them many times, but she never thought it would actually happen. Your parents weren't supposed to die until they were old.

Nick watched the part of the face he could see, and felt his heart break at how much pain Riley seemed to have gone through both while her parents were alive, and after their death. He didn't have it in him to just sit there and watch her cry without doing anything, so he reached out and gently started rubbing her back. Riley couldn't take it anymore, and just started crying at the emotion of it all, and her father's kind touch – a touch she hadn't really known.

"It's okay to miss them." Nick assured her, his voice low. "That's part of grieving."

"But I hated them, Nick. I hated them." She told him tearfully, struggling to compose her voice. "Why do I miss 'em when I hated them?"

Nick continued to rub her back soothingly. "Well, relationships between parents and kids can be complicated. Sometimes you feel like you never want to see their face again, and others you don't think you could survive without 'em." He tried to explain to the young teenager.

Riley nodded and took in hiccupping breaths, not liking that she was all of a sudden spilling her guts to Nick. She barely knew him. Riley wanted to share things with him, but on the other hand she knew it made her vulnerable. Up until this point, being vulnerable meant getting victimized. Was she opening up to Nick, or was he just a convenient outlet who just happened to be there?

"I don't wanna talk about it anymore." She told him, wiping her eyes. That was enough sharing and emotion for one day.

Nick gave her back a pat, and decided pushing her wasn't a good idea. "Sure, baby. We don't have to talk anymore if you don't want to." He whispered. Riley nodded and stood up immediately, wanting to change the scenery and put an end to the talk.

Nick cleared his throat and stood also, wheeling Nolan's stroller around so he could push it. He could sense he'd just scratched the surface of her problems, issues, and insecurities, but he would not let her just curl up and keep it in forever. Though he didn't have much credit yet, he was her father and he was going to see to it that she was well taken care of.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Wooo! Seven days of school left for me!!Thanks again for the reviews and thanks to MrsEads for always reviewing the chapters you missed when life got in the way! You're crazy and you rock. Emily, I hope life is going better for you and shame on you for telling your teacher to shut up. : ) Haha.

"I told you I don't want to be in the smart classes!" Riley reiterated as she, Nick, and Sara sat at the dining room table the next night. Her old school had just sent Las Vegas Middle School her records and old test scores, and the principal had called them with his recommendations. The young girl had scored exceptionally well on the state tests all her life, and received close to straight A's her entire school career.

"Riley, obviously you haven't been challenged enough." Nick reasoned, looking over her file, which the principal had allowed them to make a copy of for them to look over. "Your AIMS test scores have been in at least the nine-first percentile all your life." Nick explained of her state test scores.

"So?" She shrugged. "I happen to like getting straight A's without trying." Why were they trying to make her take harder classes when she doing so well in the classes she was taking? She liked having ten minutes of homework a night, as opposed to the hours the gifted kids at LVM most likely got.

Nick and Sara looked between each other, not wanting to push her, but knew this change was necessary. "School is not supposed to be that easy." Sara tried to explain. "I mean, you're supposed to feel challenged. You shouldn't have to not try at all."

"I don't want to be challenged." She told them, examining the dark blue finger nail polish that was chipping off.

"Riley, think about it. You've never been challenged in your life at school. How do you know that you won't like it?" Nick pointed out. He didn't want his daughter going through life thinking everything came without effort, and without fighting for things.

"I just have an intuition about it." She replied, standing up to finish the conversation.

"Sit down." Nick told her, and immediately regretted it. "Please. We're not done talking."

Riley sighed and looked at Nick in a bit of confusion. He had never told her to do something before. If it had been her stepfather or mother, she would've already told them to shove it. However, she didn't want to push it right now. She took a seat again at the kitchen table and waited for her father to continue.

Nick sighed and took his voice down lower. "Riley, why are you so afraid of taking these accelerated classes? You can handle it."

"I told you. I'd rather have a life than spend two hours a night on homework." If she was going to make any friends at all, she wouldn't be able to if she was stuck in her room all afternoon and evening doing schoolwork. And how did he think he knew anything about what she could handle? He'd known her a week. He had no idea what she was capable or not capable of.

Nick scrubbed a hand over his face in wonder. He did not want to start off his relationship with his daughter forcing her to do something she didn't want to do, but he and Sara had both agreed they thought this was needed. This was her education they were talking about. The kid was intelligent, and had developed some very lazy habits with her learning over the years. She was definitely not living up to her potential.

"Riley, Sara and I have discussed this at length already, and we both want to put you in the advanced classes. We definitely don't want to force this on you, but we both think this is the best thing for you." He broke to her gently.

"Oh. So basically you've already made up your mind, and it doesn't matter what I think?" She posed to them. Maybe they should put her on the debate team also.

"Of course it matters what you think." Sara assured her, seeing Riley was getting a bit upset. "But, sweetheart, when you're thirteen you don't quite have the whole picture of life yet. Nick and I know how important a good education is, and we want to see to it that you get one."

Riley scoffed like that was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. If only they knew how much life experience she really had. So what if she was a bit lazy at school? She got straight A's, didn't she? All that mattered was the results

"That's bull crap." She told them, standing up again. "Fine. I'll take your advanced classes, but when I come home with C's and D's, I don't want to hear you complaining."

With that, the seventh grader stormed off to her bedroom and slammed the door. Nick and Sara looked between each other with worried looks, Sara's mouth gaping. This was their first taste of the teenager's attitude.

"Well, that went well." Nick commented, leaning back in his chair as he crossed his arms over his chest. If they had sensed Riley would be difficult to raise, they had some solid proof now. Moments later, they heard some crying coming from upstairs, and knew it must be Carly. The door had slammed quite loudly, and she had likely woken up from the sudden noise. Sara had only just gotten her down about a half hour before.

Sara stood and gave Nick's shoulders a supportive rub. "I think we're doing the right thing. She may not like it at first, but she needs it."

She knew he hated to push her at a time like this, when they'd just met, and she was still grieving over her mother's death. But they needed to make their first stand as her parents to tell her school was important with them.

Nick put his hand over one of Sara's and rubbed it thankfully, and she leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. "Thanks baby. I just hope she doesn't hate us right now."

Raising Carly so far, they only had to deal with her hating them when they wouldn't give her candy or buy her a toy. It was gone within a few minutes, but Riley seemed like she could really hold a grudge. Nick didn't know if he could handle that as a father. He already loved her insanely, and the feeling that she didn't like him hurt.

"She doesn't hate you. She's just scared." Sara assured him, wrapping her arms around his neck so her cheek was flush with his.

"She's not the only one." Nick commented, turning his head a little to kiss Sara on the cheek as he rubbed her forearm. Sara smirked a little.

"Nick Stokes is scared of a thirteen year old girl?" She joked, swaying him back and forth a little. Sara then kissed him again, this time on the lips as they turned their heads to each other. "It'll all work out, baby. I've gotta go see to Carly."

Sara turned and walked up the stairs to go comfort and reassure their five year old. Scrubbing a hand over his face in frustration and exhaustion, Nick realized he really was scared of the thirteen year old. He loved her, of course, but the whole situation was just frightening to him. Nick wanted her to like him, but he knew he had a job to do as her parent. He never knew being a parent could be so hard.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

A couple hours later, Nick had already change into pajama pants and a t-shirt in preparation for bed when padded down the stairs to his former office. The door was closed and he could hear a bit of movement, so he gently knocked.

"Riley? It's Nick. Can I come in?" He asked his daughter quietly.

"Sure." He heard shortly from within. Nick opened her door and found Riley in her pajamas attempting to put a poster of some band on the wall evenly. She succeeded and then start working some more putty on her fingers for the next one, not making eye contact with her father.

"Your room's really coming around." He told her as he pulled out her desk chair so he could sit down. She'd spent a lot of the day decorating alone in her room since her things had arrived from Tucson. Riley didn't say anything as she unfolded her Nelly Furtado poster.

Nick watched her for a few moments and then patted a spot on her bed. "C'mere for a minute." He requested. Riley finished putting the putty on one corner and then sighed as she came over and sat down pretzel-style on her bed.

"Riley, I know you're going through a rough time. We all are, but especially you." Nick began, leaning forward onto his elbows. "It may be a little hard at first, but I think you're gonna like being in the advanced classes."

"And how do you know I'm gonna like it?" Riley cut in, her voice showing she was still a bit ticked off. "You don't know me. You don't know what I like and don't like."

"You're right. I don't know you that well yet, but from what I can tell, you are much more capable than A's in averages classes."

"From what you see on paper, but that doesn't mean I can do it!" Nick could see in her eyes she was actually scared. She was afraid of taking the advanced classes.

Nick reached out and gently took her left hand in his. "Sweetheart, why don't you want to take those classes? For real?" He asked her softly. Part of it was being afraid of not meeting the challenge, but he sensed there was more.

Riley shrugged, and couldn't believe she was actually allowing him to hold her hand. She didn't understand his parenting style – he actually listened and didn't bite her head off when she opposed him? Her mother and stepfather would just yell at her and could care less what she thought most of the time.

"I don't know." She said softly. "I just don't think I can do it. My mom never thought I could do it."

Her mother had obviously never cared enough to get her the decent education she deserved. From what he had learned from searching the Internet and ratings websites, the schools she had attended had been complete crap. Riley didn't believe she could do this work because her mother never did, and did nothing to see that she worked to her potential.

"Look at me." Nick requested, and she slowly did, with tears swimming in her blue eyes. "I know you can do it. I've only known you a week and I can see what a bright, intelligent young lady you are. And you know why?"

Riley shook her head and wiped at her eyes with her free hand.

"You fight for what you believe in." He told her. "When we told you we wanted you in those classes, you argued your point. I can tell you won't give up on things you believe in."

"But what if I fail?" She asked him, still sniffling.

"I really don't think you will, but Sara and I will be there to pick you up if you ever need help." He promised her. More tears came from Riley. Why did he care about her so much already? She'd practically mouthed off to him and he thought she was just arguing her point? He believed she could do advanced work?

"Come on, let's get you to bed." He told her gently. "You have a big day tomorrow." Riley would be starting at Las Vegas Middle School tomorrow, and they'd be going to see the principal to sign her up for classes. The girl nodded and allowed him to help her stand up. He walked her to the head of the bed and pulled back her covers, and was completely surprised when she turned and hugged him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Nick was taken aback a moment, but then hugged her back.

"Everything's gonna be just fine." He told her softly. "You've just gotta be brave, and we're here for you. Remember that, okay?"

Riley nodded and pulled back. "Sorry." She apologized for the hug.

"Nothing to be sorry about." He told her, pulling her covers back again so she could climb in. "But now you're free game for hugs in this house."

Riley managed to smile a little as he pulled the covers over her and then kissed her forehead sweetly. "Good night, Riley."

"Night, Nick."

He turned off the light and closed the door gently behind him. Wow. He'd just had another real conversation with his daughter, and she'd hugged him on purpose, and then she let him kiss her forehead. Nick knew this relationship would take time and work, and he knew little moments like this would keep them going. He smiled to himself a little as he climbed the stairs for bed. Tomorrow would be a big day for all of them once again.

A/N2: Don't think her attitude is gone.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, and sorry I didn't update during the week like a normally do! Crazy end of the year teacher crap going on. Anyways…hope you enjoy, and please review!

"Okaaaayyy…" The slightly overweight, balding principal of Las Vegas Middle School peered at a paper over his glasses the next morning, as Nick and Riley looked on from across the desk. "So we'll put Riley in advanced English, Social Studies, and Math." He confirmed as he wrote down a few notes.

"That's correct." Nick patted his daughter's hand, which was clutching nervously to her chair arm. They'd decided not to give her a full load of advanced classes so she wouldn't be overwhelmed, but three was plenty for the thirteen year old. Her Science and Literature classes would be at an easier level, and she had also signed up for an art elective, on top of the required P.E. and Health classes.

Riley looked over at her father, and he could tell how nervous she was. This was going to be a big step for her, and a rough day. Being the new kid was tough, and preteens could be cruel. Nick just hoped she'd find someone to welcome her with open arms today.

"Alright. Let me print out her schedule, and then I'll escort you to your first class of the day." Mr. Linders told the nervous girl. He'd seen his fair share of nervous kids sitting in that very chair, but had heard of her situation. His heart went out to her, but was slightly worried at her disciplinary track record. She'd served two in school suspensions at her previous middle school, as well as numerous detentions in both middle and elementary school. Mr. Linders wasn't a judgmental person, but he would be keeping his eye on the girl, both looking out for her and making sure she kept on track.

After the schedule printed, he handed it to Riley, who took it a bit reluctantly. She glanced over it with scared, almost teary eyes. At her other school, she had at least heard of some of the teachers, and knew from the other kids which ones were good, which were easy, and which were hard asses. As Riley glanced at the names, she only hoped they'd go easy on her.

They concluded the meeting and Mr. Linders told Riley he'd wait for her outside the door so she could have one last word with her father.

"You okay?" Nick checked, studying her face closely though she wasn't looking at him right now. Riley was frankly tired of everyone always being so concerned about her. Pity was exhausting sometimes.

"Yes, Nick. I'm fine. Just…I need to go." She told him hurriedly, not wanting to get overly emotional. Though she'd only known him a week, he was one of four people she knew in the entire state, and though she hated to admit it, she'd been clinging to that connection Riley hated that she felt like a kindergartener on her first day of school.

Nick could tell she just wanted him gone so it would make things easier. He remembered from his own childhood how uncool having your parents around at school was at this age.

"Okay. I have a half day at work, so I'll pick you up at three." He reminded her, and Riley was already turning to head for the door to hurry things along.

"Right. Okay." She told him, glancing back briefly. "Thanks."

"Have a good day!" Nick called as she scurried down the hall with her backpack to join the principal waiting by the office door. Within a few seconds, she was out of view. The father sighed and just hoped she would have a decent day.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

About twenty minutes later, Nick Stokes came out of the CSI changing room after buttoning up his work shirt and shutting his locker. He couldn't take his mind off Riley for the life of him. The poor kid was going through so much. It broke his heart that he had to send her to school when she was still in such turmoil, but somehow deep down knew it was the best thing. She needed to move on with her life, and sitting around at home was not going to help.

Walking to the layout room, he adjusted one of the cuffs on his shirt a little, and found Sara and Warrick in there waiting for him. Gosh, it was hard to work with Sara and not be able to kiss her for hours.

"Hey, man." Warrick gave him an upward nod as his friend of many years entered the room ruffling his hair.

"Hey." He said simply, not really in a chatty mood since his mind was elsewhere. Before being married and having kids, it was pretty easy for Nick to push aside his personal life for work. Now, he had one more new person to worry about. This was the first time he'd been back to work since she'd arrived, and already it was harder than he thought it would be. Sara could easily sense where his mind was.

"I hear it's Riley's first day of school." Warrick decided to open up the conversation a little. Sara had filled him in on a few things the day before when she returned for the first time. She and Nick exchanged eye contact..

"Yeah, I just dropped her off." Nick told him, shifting his weight. "She seemed…okay."

Sara could tell her husband was worried about her. It was amazing to her how he was already completely in love with Riley like he'd known her all her life.

Warrick nodded and could sense now was perhaps not the best time to probe into his friends' lives. He was curious about how Riley was doing, but he knew this was one of the hardest things Nick and Sara had ever been through. If they needed space, he'd give them space.

"The blood tox came back on our victim." Warrick changed the subject, knowing Riley wasn't his business right now. "She had a large amount of painkiller, possible an OD."

"Anything on our two suspects?" Nick checked, glad to talk about something else other than his worries with his new daughter.

"I was about to go check with Archie. Coming with?" Warrick grabbed a file, tucking it under his arm. Nick nodded and took in a breath at the same time, they way he did when he was still feeling a little overwhelmed. Warrick started walking so he and Sara could talk.

Sara grabbed her husband's hand before he could go any farther. "Baby, are you okay?" She whispered quietly, giving his hand a squeeze as she looked into his eyes. Nick avoided looking at her, because he might get upset again.

"I'm fine, Sar. Just a little worried about Riley, you know?" He admitted, untangling his hand from hers. Not wanting her to think he was being cold, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, hoping no one had nothing better to do than tattle on them. "Let's talk later. Work helps me take my mind off it."

Sara was concerned, but nodded her head. Though their primary concern was Riley and their own two kids, she couldn't help but worry about the effect on Nick.

CSI CSI CSI CSI

At precisely 2:55, Nick pulled up to Las Vegas Middle School, both of his other kids in the back seats, to pick up Riley after her first day. He wanted to make sure he was there waiting for her in case she had a bad time. Nick had brought a CapriSun and a bag of dry cereal to give to Carly while they waited, because she could get cranky after school if she had to wait too long for a snack.

Carly took a big sip from her drink, swinging her feet in the seat diagonal from her father. Nolan was sucking on a teething ring in his car seat, the occasional gurgle coming from the spot behind Nick.

"Daddy, when's Riley gonna get here? I wanna go hoooome." She whined a little, not used to having to wait around for someone after school. The kid did not like her afternoon routine being messed with.

Nick glanced down at the clock display. "In just a few minutes, baby. The bell hasn't rung yet." He explained, watching the front doors for any sign of dismissal. Carly whimpered a little more. "Be patient, Carly."

"That's what my teacher says." Carly reported, shoving a few pieces of Rice Chex into her mouth. Nick let out a tiny chuckle at her comment. He was sure that Carly drove her teacher crazy. She was a good kid, but she had a lot of energy and liked attention.

Moments later, they all heard the dismissal bell ring, and soon dozens and dozens of preteens came streaming out of the doors laughing and horsing around. Carly unbuckled her seatbelt and sat on her knees so she could look out for Riley.

"There she is!" She pointed, and Nick looked. A girl similar to Riley walked out scrolling through her cell phone as she walked down the steps. Nick was glad she didn't have to pick anyone out of a line-up. "Oopsie. Just kidding."

After a couple more false identifications, Carly did finally spot her sister coming out, struggling with what looked like a very heavy backpack. Poor kid got loaded with homework the very first day.

"Riley!" Carly exclaimed as the passenger door opened. Nolan dropped his teething ring on the floor in excitement. "Ra!"

Nick smirked at the younger two as Riley hauled her backpack into the Denali. He reached over and assisted her in getting it into place on the floor. The kid looked tired, but not like she had a completely awful day.

"Hey, kid." Nick smiled as she closed the door. "How was your first day?"

Riley worked her hair into a ponytail behind her neck and then let it go, her brown lock sitting at her upper back as she sighed. "Okay, I guess."

"Did you get a green light?" Carly asked from the backseat, not understanding that the particular classroom management style her teacher used didn't carry through to middle school. She almost always got a green light, and her parents could always tell when she didn't by the way she walked to the car looking all guilty and ashamed.

"They don't do lights in middle school, babe." Nick informed the kindergartener. "Everyone get your seatbelts buckled."

He soon heard the two clicks he was listening for, and pulled away from the middle school to take them all home. Nick was hoping Riley would elaborate and tell him about her day, but she sat silently with her head in her hand against the window.

"Looks like you have a lot of homework." Nick commented, hoping to open up the conversation. He glanced over at her and saw she had her eyes closed.

"Mmmhmmm." She told him. "Probably a couple hours." That scared her to death. She'd never had two plus hours of homework before in her life. How did people cope with that? Nick was secretly glad she had some homework to do. It would teach her to have a hard work ethic, hopefully. He and Sara would be there to support her, of course.

"Wow." He commented. "Well, if you need any help, I'll be around." Nick reminded her as he took a right turn. The rest of the car ride was mostly silent, apart from Carly making some random comments about things she saw during the drive, and a kid named Albert in her class.

When he pulled into the driveway, Riley got straight out and went inside as Nick helped the younger two out. It smelled like Nolan had dropped another stink bomb during the ride home.

"Daddy, I didn't poop as much as he did when I was a baby, did I?" Carly asked her father incredulously as he hitched Nolan up in his arms. Nick smirked and shook his head at her question.

"You wouldn't believe what kind of potty monster you were." Nick teased her as she grabbed her backpack and then took his hand. "Trash, please" He reminded her, causing the little girl to turn and pick up her Capri Sun and plastic baggy.

They came inside moments later, and found Riley already lounging on the couch, sipping from a wine glass in her hand filled with an orange liquid. Nick gave her a look, which she didn't see since her eyes were glued to TRL on MTV.

He set Nolan down on the floor and eyed his daughter, not quite sure what to say. Was she drinking alcohol? Carly ran off to the kitchen to find a snack for herself.

"Riley, what are you drinking?" Nick put his hands on his hips and started walking over to her slowly. Riley took another sip and then set the wine glass on the coffee table. It was kind of fun to have someone so concerned about her. Her mother and stepfather wouldn't have cared less.

"Fuzzy navel." She told him, keeping her eyes glued on the latest music video playing in the number eight position.

Nick eyed her and then reached out and picked up the wine glass, bringing it up to his nose to sniff it.

"Virgin, of course." She added, a small smile forming at her lips. Riley finally looked over at him to see a slightly relieved, but not very amused look on his face. He shook his head at her and sighed, setting the glass back down on the table.

"Don't scare me like that." He told her. "And change the channel please."

Riley smiled as she picked up the remote and flipped instead to Nickelodeon. Nick let out a throaty breath as he walked over towards the kitchen to help Carly out. She was attempting to climb the counter in order to get something from the cabinets.

Nick smiled at the sight of her, and reached out to grab her sides and help her back down to the floor. "You already had a snack, you little monkey." He reminded her of the Rice Chex she had in the car.

Carly grumbled and turned around to wrap her arms around her father, hoping to coax him otherwise. "But daddy, I'm still hungry. Pleeeeaaaase?"

Nick shook his head as he played with her hair a little. "You'll spoil your dinner. You've had enough." He told her.

"Daddyyyyyy…" She looked up at him a bit pathetically and did her trademark 'begging' dance, where she kind of bent her knees a little.

Nick gently extracted her arms from around his waist. "That's not whining I hear is it, Carly Nicole?" He raised his eyebrows at her. "Because little girls who whine have to go lay down for naps."

Carly quickly dropped the act but still kept a disgruntled look on her face. Nick was glad that Carly was still so easy to deal with. One warning and she shaped up most of the time. "Go watch your show, then it's time for homework." He prompted her, turning her towards the living room.

Carly scurried off to the couch and joined her older sister to watch their one show before it was time for homework while Nick picked up Nolan to go change him. When he returned, the credits were rolling on the television. The father set Nolan on the floor to play and then turned the television off.

"Alright, ladies. It's homework time." He announced. Carly knew the routine and got straight up, skipping over to the dining room table. She thought homework was fun at this age, and it only took her about ten minutes.

Riley, on the other hand, looked up at him in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?" She asked him, knitting her eyebrows. "I just got back from school. I'm not doing homework already."

Nick gave her a little nod, realizing she didn't know the rules yet.

"Sorry, I haven't told you yet." He apologized, as if just explaining the rule would just fix everything right up. "After school, you can have a snack and watch one show, then it's homework time."

Riley laughed humorlessly. "Maybe if you're in kindergarten and have five minutes of work to do." She pointed out, turning the television back on with the remote. "I'll start it later."

Nick ran his tongue around his teeth inside his mouth a little, not sure how much to push it right now. They had set out ground rules with Carly, but was it still fair for a teenager? He decided he needed to keep consistent rules with both girls about homework, even though the work load was quite different. Carly would probably have a fit if Riley didn't have to do her homework, and he'd have a mess on his hands.

Nick reached out and gently took the remote from her hands, and turned the tv off again. "No. Homework time is now." He informed her, a little more firmly this time.

Riley looked up at him, checking to see if he was actually serious. He was. She briefly considered protesting some more, but the look on his face was enough to convince her not to. She shook her head and sighed as she stood up.

"Fine." She agreed, though of course she wouldn't just let it go without some kind of comment. "But if you think I'm gonna roll over and do this every afternoon like a little robot, you're sadly mistaken."

Nick chose not to comment, and followed her over to the table, where Carly already had out her math assignment. She dug into her work, her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth in concentration as her pencil moved quickly. Riley plopped down and lethargically started getting the items out of her backpack. She definitely didn't think she was going to get used to this.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Woo hoo!! One more teacher day and I'm free for the summer!!! Three reasons to teach – June, July, and August. I unfortunately got the idea for Carly from my own personal experience this year, though it wasn't directed at me. Crazy children. Please enjoy and review!

Strange things were going on in the Stokes household. Two months had passed since Riley came to live with her biological father, and the house seemed practically unrecognizable at times. The kid had begun to settle in, and they had found this was both good and bad. It was good because they saw her smiling, she'd made a few friends, and she was fitting in at school. It was challenging because some of her friends weren't exactly good material, she'd begun to talk back and had even more of an attitude, and her style of dress had come into question.

Part of Nick and Sara's style of raising Carly had been to teach her how to act by training her exactly what to do. They trained her to do homework right away after school. They taught her how to say please, thank you, and sorry. They worked with her on how to solve problems without their help. The little girl didn't really have the chance to form many bad habits, apart from the occasional nose-picking. However, Riley was full of bad habits. When Nick had eased up and allowed her to do homework right after dinner, she would procrastinate and start texting her friends instead. She left her towels on the floor. She belched loudly at the dinner table. She didn't clean her room.

None of these things were awful, of course, but it all added up to extra stress for her new parents. Carly, at the impressionable age of five, had started to pick up on some of her bad habits. She protested sometimes when it was time to do homework, had taken up burping, and some of Riley's rude ways. A few days ago, when Sara had told her that she hadn't finished cleaning her room yet because her bed wasn't made, she gave her mother the "Whatever" sign, holding up her two thumbs and pointer fingers in a W. She'd received a time out and a pop on the backside from Sara on that one, and her mother feared this was only the beginning.

That was confirmed one Wednesday afternoon as Sara pulled into the pick-up area of The Foothills Montessori School. It was almost hilarious to her parents how easy she was to read at what kind of day she had at school. If she got a green card at school, she was her normal, bouncy, happy self. When she got a yellow or red card for misbehaving, there was guilt written all over her pouty face. Today, as her teacher walked her to the car, she looked absolutely terrified, and on the verge of tears.

"Here we go." Sara muttered, sighing, as Miss Bradshaw opened the back door and let her in. She then closed it as Sara rolled down the passenger window, sensing they needed to talk. "Good afternoon, Miss Bradshaw."

"Hello, Mrs. Stokes." Miss Bradshaw placed her sunglasses on top of her head as she leaned on the Denali with her forearms. "I'm afraid I need to speak to you about something."

Sara looked back at Carly, who was beginning to cry and didn't dare look at her mother because she was so ashamed.

"Did something happen?" Sara asked her, concern plastered on her face.

"Yes. Today, when I asked Carly to clean up the mess she made at the painting center, she refused, so I put her in time-out and gave her a yellow card." She began. "When she was there, she proceeded to hold up her middle finger at me."

Sara gaped in shock. Her sweet, well-mannered, but precocious little daughter had made an obscene gesture? And at her teacher, nonetheless? Miss Bradshaw must think she was an awful parent – the kind that let her kindergartener watch rated R movies and stay up until midnight. She looked back at Carly, who had her face buried in her knees, which she'd brought up to her chest.

"Carly Nicole Stokes!" Sara reprimanded her. "That is completely unacceptable."

Carly cried, making quite pitiful sounds from her booster seat.

"You have something you need to say to Miss Bradshaw." Sara informed her daughter sternly, staring the little girl down. She could not believe what her daughter had done, and had absolutely no idea where she was going to even start with her.

Carly peeked her teary eyes out just enough so her mouth wouldn't be muffled. "I…I'm sorry Miss Bradhsaw!!" She sobbed, knowing how much trouble she was going to be in with her mom and dad. Carly just wanted to curl up in a ball and skip to her parents forgiving her.

"I am so sorry, Miss Bradshaw." Sara also apologized for her daughter's rude behavior. "She will be dealt with at home also, I assure you."

Her teacher thanked Sara and she rolled up the window. Carly knew that all bets were off now that no one else was around besides her mom and little brother.

"Seatbelt, Carly Nicole." Sara told her daughter sharply, putting the car in drive, but pressing on the brake. Carly still had tears streaming down her face, making it hard to see the buckle. After a few tries, it finally clicked.

"Momma, I'm sorry!" She implored, knowing her mother was very, very upset with her.

"You're sorry." Sara stated, which wasn't a good sign. "Not as sorry as I am that you could be so disrespectful to your teacher. The middle finger, Carly?" She pulled away from the school, trying to stay calm.

"I didn't know what it means!" Carly tried, rubbing at her wet eyes.

"Don't lie to me, young lady. You knew perfectly well what it meant." Sara cleared up. Unfortunately, Riley had used that gesture a few times at home, and as Sara had suspected, her little girl had picked it up. Carly whimpered pathetically from where she was sitting as Sara drove to the middle school to pick Riley up.

"Am I in trouble, Momma?" Carly asked fearfully, hoping in her little heart that for some reason she would be let off the hook.

"You most definitely are." Sara cleared right up for her as she took a left turn, gripping the steering wheel quite tightly. "You know Daddy and I don't tolerate that kind of rudeness. I am so disappointed in you, Carly."

The kindergartener cried even louder as Sara pulled up to the middle school pick up circle. "I don't like it when your 'sappointed in me!"

Sara was glad that she and Nick seemed to have put the fear of God in their young daughter when she was in trouble. She hadn't even been punished yet, and already she was apologetic. At least she knew she had messed up. It was no accident that Carly thought the world was ending.

Sara was too angry to say anything else as she waited for Riley to come out. Carly continued to cry and blubber in the backseat as Nolan looked at her curiously as he chewed on his Fisher Price toy cell phone.

Riley climbed in a few minutes later, weighed down once more by her backpack filled with textbooks. Immediately, she noticed Carly crying in the back seat.

"Jeez, what's wrong with her?" She asked as she closed the door, peering over her shoulder. Carly said something incoherent as she sobbed.

"She misbehaved at school." Sara said simply, putting the car in drive once more. Riley raised her eyebrows as she buckled up. Carly had never cried quite as pathetically as that. She wondered what little tiny thing she had done now to get in trouble. Nick and Sara were so strict with her it was ridiculous.

"What, did she cut in line at recess or something?" Riley wondered, a bit in jest. "You guys are way too strict. Seriously."

"It's a bit more serious than that, Riley." Sara rubbed her forehead as she drove towards the house.

"Really?" Riley was curious now. "What did she do?"

"Riley, it's not your business."

Sara torqued her jaw when Riley turned in her seat to look at Carly. "Hey, kid. What did you do?"

Carly took in a shaky breath. "I put up my middle finger at the teacher."

Riley snorted with laughter. "Really? Oh my God, that's hilarious."

Sara slapped the steering wheel in annoyance. "Riley Michelle, do not encourage her!" She told the teen a bit harshly. "You're the one she picked it up from."

Riley slouched back lazily in her chair, trying not to smile. "Well, she probably deserved it." She commented.

"Not another word, Riley." Sara told her shortly. "I am really not in the mood to deal with your comebacks."

Riley smiled and looked out the window, deciding to keep her mouth shut for the rest of the ride home. She couldn't believe what Carly had done, but for a much different reason than Sara.

When they pulled into the garage and got out, Carly looked up at her mother shamefully.

"Go to your room, Carly, until your father is home and ready to deal with you." Sara pointed to the stairs. Carly whimpered and almost started crying again. She definitely feared Nick more when it came to discipline.

"Noooo! Don't tell Daddy." She requested of her mother.

Sara shook her head. "Not a chance. March."

Carly ran up the stairs, trying not to burst into tears again as Sara set Nolan down with his toys on the living room floor. Riley was already getting a snack from the kitchen. Sara sighed and went in there also to get Carly a small snack to eat in her room.

"So, she really flipped off her teacher?" The teen couldn't resist. She was curious.

Sara set down the plate loudly on the counter. "Yes, Riley. She did. And I'm not happy about it, so I'd appreciate it if you could just drop it right now."

Riley smiled as she cracked open a soda. "Alright, alright." She agreed reluctantly. Sara grabbed a few crackers out of the Ritz box and squirted on some Easy Cheese a bit vigorously, still obviously upset. Carly was perfectly well behaved before Riley had come to live with her. The kid wouldn't have known the middle finger if it wasn't for her, and they had planned to shield her from such things for as long as possible.

"I hope this helps you realize, Riley, that your sister is at a very impressionable age. Everything you did, she picks up on."

Riley went into defense mode a bit, since she was being accused of something. It was probably right, but who did this Sara lady think she was talking to her like that?

"Excuse me? We live in the year 2007. She would have learned it by first grade anyway." Did Sara really think she could keep Carly from cuss words and middle fingers forever? That woman needed a reality check.

"Watch your language from now on, Riley. Both verbal and body." Sara told her, picking up the plate to take to Carly. Riley chose not to say anything else, and watched Sara going up the stairs.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

Nick came home a couple hours later from his day at CSI. He'd had a decent day, but it was always a relief to see his wife and kids. As he came through the garage, he saw Riley predictably laying on the couch, her feet propped up on the arm, as she watched the end of Oprah. She had Nolan up there with her, and he was currently climbing around her legs, making his way up to snuggle in her arms. Riley had definitely taken to the little boy. She didn't mind watching him at all, and Nolan seemed to adore her.

"Da!" He squealed when he saw his father enter. Riley looked over and gave Nick a bit of a smile. Nick walked over and planted a kiss on both of the kids' heads before heading into the kitchen where Sara was making enchiladas.

"Hey, babe." Nick planted a kiss on her shoulder, putting one of his hands on her hip as he stood behind her.

"Hi." She told him. Sara had calmed down in the couple hours since she'd been home, but she was still furious with Carly. The kid had been sitting up in her room for quite a while in horrible anticipation, waiting for Nick to return.

"How was your day?" He put his other hand on her hip and gently pulled her back a little towards him, then pressed a kiss to her hair. Nick could never tire of smelling the perfect lavender scent of his wife's hair, among other things.

Sara sighed, "Alright, until I went to pick up Carly." She began, sprinkling cheese on top of the ground beef.

"What happened?" Nick asked immediately. Sara turned in his arms and went on to explain the whole ordeal at school, and how she was worried that their little girl was picking up some bad habits.

Nick let out a troubled breath as he stroked the back of her hands with his thumbs supportively. "She up in her room?" He checked.

Sara nodded. "I told her I'd send you up when you were ready to deal with her." She was a little bothered with herself that she'd resorted to the 'just wait until your father gets home' cop-out. Whichever parent was home usually dealt with the discipline, but when Carly pulled something like this, which was rare, Sara left it to her husband.

Nick leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips and then her forehead. "Don't worry. I'll handle it."

Nothing more needed to be said, as Nick climbed the stairs to his younger daughter's bedroom. Sara went back to finished the preparation of the enchiladas and then stuck it in the oven.

Nick was upstairs for about five minutes, when the door finally opened and Riley could clearly hear loud crying coming from her bedroom. He closed the door behind him and then came back down the stairs, sighing.

Riley gave her father a look after he shared a brief word with Sara in the kitchen and grabbed a glass of wine. He sat down on the other end of the couch where his daughter's feet weren't reaching, and noticed Riley was looking at him funny.

"You didn't spank her for that, did you?" She questioned him.

Nick finished his sip of wine. "Riley, it's not your business how I punish your sister."

That was a cop-out answer if she ever heard one

"So that would be a yes." She cleared up. "You know they're trying to outlaw it in California. And it's already outlawed in nineteen countries including Germany."

Nick looked over at her in confusion as Nolan crawled his way over to his father. "Where are you getting all this, and why are you telling me?"

"That advanced social studies class you forced me to take." Riley started. "We're doing debates in class this nine weeks, and that was one of our topics. I was on the con side."

Nick rubbed at his eyes with his fingers. Funny that she didn't really talk to him about school unless it was to oppose him on something. She was doing alright in her classes so far, getting mostly B's one C, and two A's.

"Thanks for the info, but I don't think I'll be taking parenting advice from you, Ry." He'd begun using the nickname on his daughter a few weeks ago, and she secretly loved it. She wasn't exactly the model child, as he'd come to find out. Riley shrugged her shoulders.

Nick reached over and patted her foot, which was resting right next to his leg. He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw that her nails were Shrek green. "After dinner, we need to have a little talk." He informed her. Sara was pretty upset about the fact that Carly had learned the obscene gesture from their new family member.

"Is it about my crazy toenails?" She teased, wiggling her ugly-colored toes. Nick smirked and looked at his son, who was looking up at him wide-eyed.

"Doesn't your sister have some revolting toenails?" He shook Nolan back and forth lightly a little bit, causing him to gurgle. His beautiful brown eyes twinkled in delight.

"I'm afraid not." He informed her, talking again to Riley as he played with his son a little. "There seems to be a few things Carly is picking up on that we don't want her dabbling in until she gets at least to high school."

Riley grimaced a little. "The middle finger. Sorry." She told him. "But seriously, kids are starting to use that in, like, third grade."

"Well, we're trying to preserve her innocence as much as we can." He often wondered if they were overdoing it because they were CSI's and had seen so much. Nick just wanted to protect his kids from all the awful things in the world, as much as he could.

"Fine. I'll write it down in my assignment notebook. Seven o'clock, lecture from Nick." She said a little sassily, though it was in jest at the moment. Nick shook his head and tickled the bottom of her foot a little.

Riley laughed and retracted her foot, then kicked him lightly on the arm. Nick cleared his throat and smiled. "Good. See you then."


	14. Chapter 14

Bichonmom – Thanks for taking the time to review, but I will not be changing my story line in response to your "ultimatum" for you to keep reading. This is a story about a family thrown in to a difficult situation, so yes, their emotions are mixed up, Sara's a bit testy, and Riley has just lost her mother. And, if you look closely at some of the of the other chapters, you will see clues that Riley has been through much more than she's letting on to Nick and Sara right now, which is part of the reason for her personality. Also, generally on this site, writers are reluctant to consider the suggestions of people who do not review at all until they have a problem with the story.

Thanks to everyone else for your reviews!! Without further ado, here's the next chapter…

Nick closed the door to Riley's room after having a bit of a talk with her later that evening. He didn't think she was used to being called on her inappropriate language and gestures like Sara had been doing lately. Nick was again feeling like the peacemaker between his wife and his new daughter. Sara was being protective of their own children, which he understood. He didn't want Carly getting in trouble at school and becoming as mouthy and attitude-ridden as Riley was now. The father was hoping that with love and a lot of patience, Riley would eventually come around. Nick also didn't want to push Riley away by being too strict all of a sudden.

The man sighed as he opened the door to the master bedroom to find Sara folding laundry a bit vigorously, if that was possible. She was still ticked off about something, he could tell. He assumed it was about Riley, their favorite teen.

"We need to talk." She informed him, letting a little pile of washcloths drop onto the comforter as she glared at him a bit. Nick raised his eyebrows – he was the object of that look, he realized.

"Sure. What's up?" He asked, walking closer to where she stood by the bed, wondering what was on her mind.

"Riley." She started simply.

"Babe, I know you're worried about her mouth and everything concerning Carly, but…"

"You're letting her manipulate you." Sara told him, emphasizing the word 'manipulate' a bit. She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at her husband.

"Manipulate me? How?" Nick countered at the accusation, putting both hands on his hips. It was rare that they ever had a disagreement about Carly or Nolan, so this was new territory.

Sara scoffed. "Downstairs, after you came back from dealing with Carly, she was mouthing off to you, and you just let it go." She pointed out.

"She was not mouthing off, she was debating with me."

"No, she was mouthing off to see how much she can get away with." She deposited a stack of shirts on the mattress. "And you're just screaming for her to walk all over you, and walk all over me too."

"Am I?" He asked a bit sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest now.

"Yes, you are. You let her challenge you on how you deal with Carly, and then when you tell her you guys need to talk, she has some smart-ass comment about penciling you into her schedule?" Her face showed how completely disturbed she seemed by this.

"Sara…"

"Not an hour earlier, I was telling her she needs to shape up, and watch her language, and she didn't like it but she was listening to me."

"You were biting her head off, according to her."

"She needs her head bitten off every once in a while around here, and if you won't do it, I will." She informed him, matter-of-factly.

"She's confused right now." Nick defended.

"Yeah, she is. And she needs more clear-cut boundaries. She needs to know we're not gonna tolerate her mouth and dismissing our rules. What she needs is more consistent consequences, like Carly gets." Sara told him.

"Are you suggesting I start putting her in time-out and spanking her every now and then?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

Sara shot him a look. "You're just as sarcastic as she is, aren't you? No, she needs privileges or things taken away. And have you ever heard of grounding?" Riley had not been punished once since they'd been living with them, and there had been several occasions when Sara thought she should have been. But alas, Nick didn't want to push her.

"And have you? You're her parent now, too, you know." Nick pointed out.

Sara slammed down a pile of socks she had been matching. "No, Nick! Don't you dare! YOU'RE the one who couldn't keep your pants zipped up fourteen years ago, so she's YOUR responsibility primarily! I'm happy to support you, but you have to be the main parent here! And she knows that! She doesn't listen to me as much because I'm the stepmom, and her real father is being a pushover!"

Nick didn't say anything and tried to take in what she was saying. It was hard to listen during an argument, because they were both seemingly very passionate about their side. He ran his tongue around his teeth inside his mouth a little in thought.

"Fine." His voice was soft and a little hurt. He dug one of his feet around a bit in frustration and gestured to nothing in particular. "You know, this is hard for me too, but I'm trying my best."

With that, Nick turned and left the bedroom to go back downstairs for a while, leaving Sara in their bedroom. She slammed another pile of Nick's t-shirts on the bed and put her hand up to her mouth, trying to keep from crying, but it wasn't working. Sara hated it when they fought.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

It was a lonely night for Nick and Sara since they were mad at each other. Normally, they slept spooning, but last night, they faced away from one another and didn't touch. Both hated it, but both were being too stubborn to apologize just yet.

That morning, they both moved around the kitchen doing their normal routines of starting and making coffee, and getting breakfast ready for the girls. Today, as Carly watched, she noticed that her daddy wasn't touching her mommy at all. Normally, when they almost bumped into each other, he'd put his hand on her back or shoulder as they moved to another spot, but today he just shuffled out of the way and didn't even look at her. There were no kisses and no light-hearted teasing. Carly figured they were both still mad at her from what she did yesterday. She realized that what she did was wrong, and she'd been punished for it. Her daddy always forgave her, though, and today he was barely saying a word to her.

"Carly's got ballet practice after school today." Sara reminded him as she poured the coffee, since it was her day to work, and his day to stay home.

Nick looked up from where he was pouring a bowl of Cheerios for Riley, who still wasn't up, and nodded. "Thanks." He said shortly, then placed the bowl along with the gallon of milk at the empty spot at the breakfast bar. It was then that he noticed Carly was doing her red-faced silent cry number that always happened before the waterworks started.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" He asked gently, immediately walking around the island to go to her. At her father acknowledgment, Carly started crying harder and dropped her spoon into her bowl.

"You'restillmadatmeeeee!!" She sobbed, rubbing at her eyes with her little hands. Nick and Sara had figured out that she had a magical power to blame everything on herself. They'd kind of forgotten that this morning since they were so caught up with their own disagreement.

Nick gently rubbed her back as she cried. "No, sweetheart." He promised her. "I'm not still mad at you. What do you think that?"

Sara watched from the kitchen, feeling bad about Carly's breakdown herself.

"Cuz you're not talking to me, and you and mommy both still look really mad and 'sappointed in me!" She confessed, trying to take deep breaths, but failing miserably.

Nick made a sympathetic sound and looked over at his wife, who looked just as sorry as he probably did. He gently scooped Carly up in his arms so he could give her a big hug, and she wrapped her little arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder.

"Baby, I'm sorry if you thought we were ignoring you." He explained as he rubbed her back soothingly. "You were punished last night, but you know after that I always forgive you right?"

Carly nodded into his shoulder. "Uh-huh. So why're you mad still?"

Nick looked at Sara again from where she was mixing the sugar into both mugs. She gave him a 'we screwed up, didn't we?' look. "Well, Mommy and I had a disagreement last night about something else, so we're both a little sad about that still." He tried to explain without saying too much. Nick didn't want Carly having to deal with adult problems just yet.

"Didn't you say you're sorry?" She asked him innocently, turning her head towards his neck.

"It's a little more complicated than that." Nick told her. Sara put down her spoon and walked over to where her husband was holding their little daughter. She stood next to him and reached out to gently stroke Carly's hair.

"Carly, sometimes adults have disagreements, but that doesn't mean we don't still love you. And it's not your fault." She tried to explain to the five year old.

"I don't think you should fight." She told them honestly, picking up her head and rubbing her eyes.

Sara looked into Nick's eyes, and suddenly fighting seemed like a really dumb thing to do.

"Well, we don't like to fight, but sometimes parents do." Sara put her hand on Nick's upper back, as if to assure him that they were going to talk and work this out. "Daddy and I will talk about it, don't you worry."

Carly reached out for her mother, wanting to be transferred. Nick handed her over, and he and Sara shared a smile of compromise.

"I love you, Mommy." She murmured from her spot in Sara's arms. "And Daddy."

"We love you too." Sara smiled, rubbing her back. Nick stepped forward and kissed the top of Carly's head, and then leaned up to kiss Sara's forehead.

"We can talk later." He whispered, "I need to go get Riley moving."

Sara nodded, and then her husband disappeared towards the back of the house to go wake up the teenager.

Nick knocked on his daughter's bedroom door, and heard nothing coming from inside. He opened it up anyway to find her still sprawled out on her bed, her legs caught up in the sheets and comforter. She was a very deep sleeper. Her alarm clock was beeping, but she was apparently ignoring it. Nick cleared his throat and shut it off.

"Riley, come on." He grabbed her hand and shook her arm a little bit. "This is your third call. Out."

She mumbled something incoherent and tried to roll away from her father, but Nick pulled on her arm a little more. The third call was past the 'being nice' phase of loving kisses to the forehead and gentle words. Riley was now in the 'get your ass out of bed' phase.

She continued to ignore him, and Nick thought about what Sara had argued about last night. He never disciplined her, and she was apparently heading quickly into the stage where she completely ignored his commands, like she was doing now.

"I'm gonna start counting, and by the time I get to three, you better be up, or I'll be taking your cell phone and your tv privileges." He threatened. Nick didn't understand why it was so much easier to threaten Carly than Riley. He guessed he had more history and practice with the five year old.

Riley quirked one eye open and furrowed her forehead. "What?" She picked her head up slightly.

"One…" Nick crossed his arms and began. Riley's eyes both opened and she sat up on her elbows, looking at him to see if he was serious.

"Two…" She sighed and pushed the covers off.

"You're insane." She muttered as she swung her legs over the bed.

"Three." Riley was standing with her arms crossed, mirroring Nick's stance.

"Jeez, you don't have to start counting and go postal on me." She told him, scratching an itch over her ear a little bit. "I was about to get up."

"Let's lose the attitude." Nick told her bluntly. "Calling you three times is ridiculous, and I would like a little more respect from you around here. We're leaving in fifteen minutes. I better see you at the breakfast table in five. Move it." He told her, then walked towards her door.

Riley scoffed but didn't say anything more as he left and shut the door. What the hell had just happened? Did he threaten to take her cell phone away? Riley went to her drawers and angrily fished out a pair of socks and threw them at her door.

She clenched her fists together. "Bite me."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! They seemed to go up for the last chapter – I think you must like drama!! More drama ahead, I promise. I'll be flying home to Indiana tomorrow, but I'll be taking my laptop with me. : ) Please enjoy and review.

Another dramatic morning at the Stokes household made for a stressful start to the day. Nick was pleasantly surprised that Riley had actually heeded his word – she was ready to go within the fifteen minute timeframe he'd given her. Not without a scowling face, mind you, but at least she was ready. He'd dropped both girls off at their respective schools, Sara had left for work, and now he was catching up on paying bills while Nolan used his lower leg as a toy.

Nick had fished out Carly's Fisher Price doctor set to keep his young son entertained for a few minutes. Within the first minute, he'd had to confiscate the reflex hammer in the best interest of his own personal comfort. Nick glanced down occasionally at the kid, smirking when he saw what he was doing each time. He didn't know what each item was for, so he invented uses. Right now, he was using the stethoscope to pound his foot.

Nick wiggled his toes a little and poked him in the tummy, causing him to giggle. "You hear a heartbeat down there, bud?" He asked. Nolan just gurgled a little. He knew a few words, but not really enough to communicate. His father smiled at him and ruffled his chestnut brown hair, which was coming in nicely. Nick hoped that in a few years, he'd be able to teach his only son how to play catch, and how to play football and baseball. He'd tried to teach Carly, but she was more interested in her Barbies. She was his girly girl, and he loved her to death.

A few moments later, the house phone rang, so Nick leaned to the left to find the cordless phone that was kept on the end table. He grunted at the stretch, but managed to snatch it up and clicked the talk button.

"Stokes residence." He answered.

"Hello, Mr. Stokes." A male voice greeted him, not sounding angry, but not sounding happy. "This is Principal Linders at Las Vegas Middle School. I have Riley in here with me." He peered at his glasses at the young girl, whose arms and legs were crossed.

Nick touched his fingers to the bridge of his nose. It wasn't even nine a.m. and she was already in trouble? "What seems to be the problem?" He sighed a little.

"She seems to be in violation of the dress code." He began. "Students are not allowed to wear halter tops and short skirts to school."

Nick furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. When he dropped her off this morning, she was wearing a sensible pair of jeans paired with a tank top and a gray cotton jacket. The little sneak must have packed those other clothes in her backpack or gotten them from a 'friend'.

"I apologize, sir. She wasn't wearing that this morning." He told him. "Does she have her other clothes there?"

"Yes, but if it's possible, I'd like you to bring her in a t-shirt, and…um…some regular underwear." He told her father uncomfortably, not knowing quite else to say it.

"Regular underwear?" He repeated, crinkling his nose. "What is she wearing?"

"It's not appropriate for school, and for any thirteen year old at any time, to be quite frank. Please come in as soon as possible." Linders told him evasively.

"Of course. I'll be right in." He told him, and clicked the phone off. Nick sighed and looked down at his son, who stared back at him with bright eyes. He sighed and picked him as he stood, holding him high in the air. "Your sister's a real piece of work sometimes, you know."

Nolan laughed a little, only understanding that his father was playing with him, and Nick brought him back to his arms as he made his way back to Riley's room. He pushed the door open and expectedly found her bed unmade, several items of clothing strewn across the floor, and as he looked at her desk, her math assignment that was due yesterday. Nick picked that up and set it on her bed so he could take that in also. The little punk had told him all her homework was done two nights ago. He needed to get better at checking to make sure every night.

He wasn't a nosy father, but from the sounds and looks of it, maybe he needed to be. He set Nolan down on her bed and then turned to her dresser. Opening the third drawer, he quickly found a decent t-shirt that he'd seen her wearing a couple weeks ago to school. He tossed the shirt on top of her math assignment and then sighed before turning back. He really did not particularly want to go through her underwear drawer, but it was her fault, he told himself. Nick opened up the top drawer and quickly found a pair of regular panties. He didn't know what the principal meant by 'inappropriate', but knowing Riley, she probably had a few tricks up her sleeve. She was such a teenager. Nick picked up the three items, and his son, and soon was driving over to the middle school.

Fifteen minutes later, he was walking into the man office, balancing Nolan and the three said items. He smiled at the secretary as he walked to the desk. "Nick Stokes to see Riley Groves. She's in with the principal." Nick explained. The secretary nodded knowingly and handed him the sign in sheet.

"Please sign in." She requested. Nick set Nolan on the counter for a moment while he scribbled his name, and then took him into the office with him. Riley groaned and buried her face in her hand when she saw him.

"Morning, Principal Linders." Nick shook his hand and sat in the chair next to his daughter. "Didn't think I'd be seeing you again so soon." He told her, raising his eyebrows as he bounced Nolan a little. Riley didn't look at him. Nick took a moment to assess her outfit. She had a short denim skirt on, and a canary yellow halter top that he would never let her out of the house in. No, scratch that. She'd never be allowed out of her bedroom in that thing.

"Where in God's name did you get that?" He questioned her right off the bat.

"My mom bought it for me." She finally turned to glare at him, as if to challenge her to even touch anything to do with her mother.

"Did she?" Nick asked, raising his eyebrows. Sounds like she'd been a great role model for the kid. "Well, it's going to Goodwill or in the trash."

"It was a birthday present, and it cost thirty bucks!" She snapped at him.

"I don't care what it was and how much it cost, you're not wearing that piece of cloth anymore. Ever." He added.

"That's what you think." She mumbled and looked away, crossing her arms again. Nick narrowed his eyes at her. Did she really think she could get something like that past a crime scene investigator? Well, up until now, he hadn't really been on her case that much, but things were going to change.

Principal Linders decided to take back over.

"Mr. Stokes, I had to call you in today to make sure you and Riley understand the dress code here. It sounds like you were unaware that Riley wore this today?" He checked, scribbling down a note.

"That's correct, sir. Her stepmother and I wouldn't let her out of the house in that knowingly." He told him, but also knew Riley was hearing it also.

"Good. This is also the third time she's been in violation this month."

"The third time?" He gaped. "I was never notified before." Nick told the principal. Mr. Linders' eyes shifted to the thirteen year old in the chair, and Nick's followed also.

"Notices were sent home, but I can see you never got them." He glared at the seventh grader. Nick cleared his throat and stared her down also.

"Riley?" Nick prompted her warningly. Nolan kept trying to get over to Riley, but he held him back. "Why didn't I get those notices?"

He hoped she might even try the excuse of 'I forgot', which he wouldn't have believed, but it would've been easier to swallow than the one he got. Riley wasn't one to roll over and start apologizing for the things she'd done wrong when she got caught. She was a fighter all the way.

"Why should I? You've been my father for what, three months?" She looked at him like he was crazy. "Just because you slept with my mom fourteen years ago doesn't mean you get to tell me what to do."

Nick wasn't quite sure what to say in response to that. He was a bit embarrassed that she'd said it in front of the principal, but not as hurt he was to hear her real opinion. He still had no respect and no privileges with her. What he said mattered as much as the next guy.

Nick sighed and looked back at the principal. "I'm sorry. We would've done something if we had known. It might be better in the future to give us a phone call or e-mail instead of a notice." He told him honestly. Riley was one sneaky girl, he was discovering.

"I will do that from now on if there are any more problems." Linders assured Nick, scratching that down in her file as he cleared his throat. "Since this is the third violation, she will receive two after-school detentions, starting today. However, her math teacher has also issued a detention because of several late assignments, so she now has three."

Nick cleared his throat and handed her the math assignment he'd found on her desk this morning. At least this one was complete. She took it from him wordlessly and shoved it in her backpack.

"And Riley," Mr. Linders began, "Don't let me hear about you wearing that type of undergarment again, or we'll have to take more drastic measures."

Riley rolled her eyes and stood up from her chair. Nick handed her the t-shirt and panties, which she took without looking at him, wanting to just get out of here and away from the two adults.

Mr. Linders and Nick said their goodbyes, and he followed his daughter out of the office and into the main hallway. She was going to leave without a word, he realized, so he had to grab her arm to stop her. "What?!" She spun around angrily to look at him.

"Tone, young lady." He reminded her. "I'm not gonna try to embarrass you, but whatever kind of underwear or non-underwear you have on, it better be put away until you're eighteen, or I'm gonna go searching for 'em myself in your room. Understood?"

She rolled her eyes again and tried to take her arm away from him. He didn't know what she'd been through, and didn't know anything about teenage girls. That jerk was just an old-fashioned chump with his head up his butt.

"Hmmmm?" He didn't let go, and waited for her answer.

"Fine!" She snapped. "Whatever you say, father! Let me just hop to it like a little Stepford child. Would you like me to clean my room after school also, and do a load of laundry while I'm at it?"

Nick adjusted Nolan on his hip and just stared at his wayward daughter. Never had he known someone with such an attitude.

"We'll talk about this more when I pick you up from detention." He promised her. "Go change your clothes and clean up your attitude. Goodbye." Nick turned and walked out the door of Las Vegas Middle School shaking his head.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Home sweet home Indiana!! Woo hoo! I'll be catching up with my cronies the next few days, but I'll try to update semi-quickly. Every other day hasn't been bad, eh? And here's the chapter…Nick grows some balls!! Please review!

At 4:00 that afternoon a still slightly annoyed but more confident Nick Stokes pulled up to the pickup circle of Las Vegas Middle School in his black Denali. He'd gotten a rousing peptalk from his wife a couple hours ago when he'd called to tell her what Riley had said and done. She'd told him to be a freakin' man and stick to his guns – not to take any lip from her and to ground her for deceiving them, lying, and being generally mouthy. He'd taken way too much of her crap, according to Sara, and it was high time he put his foot down with her.

"You're her father for crying out loud! Act like it and be fearless!" She'd told him.

Nick had agreed. He was being victimized and played by his own daughter. He was coming to realize that though he'd been absent from her life up until this point, that didn't mean she could live in a consequence-free environment. That wasn't helping his state of mind, and it certainly wasn't helping her. And, his marriage was suffering because of it. Yes, he needed to step it up, he decided.

Riley dilly-dallied around school after her first of three detentions let out. She went to her locker to make sure she had all her homework for once. Checked all her folders for assignments, and her lip gloss in her free magnetic locker mirror she'd gotten with her Seventeen Magazine last year. The seventh grader gave her raspberry-flavored lips one last pucker before shutting her locker with the familiar creaky bang.

Her father was beginning to think, she could tell, that he got to tell her what to do. Tell _her_ what to do? Psh! She was the queen of staying up until all hours, doing projects when she felt like it, and throwing the best house parties at her old middle school. Supervised, of course, but with her mother there were practically no adults anyway. She'd laughed hysterically when she'd seen _Mean Girls_ for the first time with her best friends. Regina's mom was practically a clone of hers, but with more money and maybe an inkling more of class. Instead of a pink velvet jumpsuit, her mother would wear size small Soffe shorts on her decidedly large-sized ass, paired with a grubby white 1998 Nascar shirt or similar attire, or on bad days, a skimpy halter top, way worse that the one she'd worn today. Nick thought that thing she'd worn was bad? Obviously, he'd never had the unfortunate, no, downright distressing experience of being forced to see that woman's overtanned, freckled from too much sun, old-lady cleavage peering back at him. Or maybe he had, and that's why he'd gone for her. Nasty.

And there he was – looking all upper middle class in his recently-washed and waxed Denali, his nerdy CSI ballcap hugging his head. He was looking at her – obviously he'd been waiting for her for several minutes. His SUV was the only one still there, sitting lonely. Ha. She smiled to herself a little because she'd made him wait. Riley opened the passenger door and slung her twenty-pound JanSport backpack onto the floor and climbed in without looking at him. Peeking in the back, she saw neither mini-Stokes, and sighed a little. No one to draw his attention away from her – no dropped sippy cups; no reprimands about rude bodily functions. Just him and her.

"What took you so long?" Nick asked as he looked over his left shoulder to pull out of his space.

"I was avoiding you." She informed him honestly. Her mom always said there was no point beating around the bush, but Riley wasn't sure Nick agreed with that philosophy.

"Hmmm. And why is that?" He took it in stride as he pulled onto the street.

"Because you, quote 'want to have a discussion with me after school', end quote." Riley answered smartly.

Nick nodded his head at her correct memory, stealing a glance as she took off her flip flop and examined a melted Skittle that had attached itself to the bottom somewhere between her locker and the car. She picked it off with her dark purple nails, rolled down the window, and tossed it out.

"I hope a squirrel doesn't try to eat that." She told him. "It'll choke."

Shaking his head, Nick wondered where she'd learned to change the subject so quickly. She had quite a way of putting up the smoke and mirror with him, but Nick reminded himself that they needed to have a serious talk. Maybe not here in the car, but when they got home.

"Ry, we need to have a serious discussion when we get home." He informed her as he took a left turn and let the steering wheel glide back under his slightly nervous fingers.

Riley looked over at her father, assessing his mood and just what this 'discussion' would entail. She knew he wasn't happy with her, especially after her mouthy comebacks with him after leaving the principal's office. She had never denied that she was a spitfire. Riley was just used to living with people who knew how to tolerate it.

"Is it about my thong?" She asked bluntly, always trying to steer away from seriousness. It made her uncomfortable that Nick and Sara always announced it was time for a talk. They could never just ease into it. Did they really expect her to drop everything and suddenly turn her full attention to whatever lecture they were about to give her? Seriously, come on.

Nick let out a breath, not surprised she was trying to dismiss it. "In part. Mostly, we need to talk about your attitude and your mouth."

Riley crinkled her nose uncomfortably. "Sorry, I have a lot of homework."

Nick stopped a little more suddenly than he had to at a stop sign that came up at the opportune moment. Their seatbelts jammed as Nick turned to look at his daughter.

"Riley, that's one of the things I'm not tolerating any more with you." He informed her, his voice taking on a much sterner tone. Riley made a face, as if she needed him to explain more. "Your little comeback and dismissals. Not always rude, but most of the time they are. You are a CHILD. I am an adult, and I get to decide what's best for you, and when we need to talk about it."

Riley gaped a little at his answer. She hadn't expected that whole blow-up from what she'd said. The man actually hadn't allowed her to get away with her bullcrap, and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not. Nick pulled away from the stop sign and accelerated.

"Jeez, I'm just saying…"

"No, you weren't." Nick cut her off. "You were being disrespectful and I'm not toleratin' it any more. Along with a list of other things that we WILL discuss as soon as we get home."

Of course, he didn't expect her to give up that easily, and she didn't.

"So you're saying my homework just isn't important?" She checked, hoping to somehow sway him out of his plan for a big-time lecture. Truth be told, she was a bit nervous. He rarely raised his voice to her, and she was afraid of what he was going to tell her. As always, though, she put up a sarcastic, you-don't-scare-me front. "My teachers won't be happy to know that."

"I'm not even gonna answer that, Riley." He told her calmly as they turned onto their street. Nick was also realizing that when he acknowledged her little comebacks, it was giving her more power. Ignoring her would probably frustrate her, but hopefully it would eventually stop it altogether.

Riley sighed theatrically as they pulled into the driveway and Nick turned the ignition off. She suddenly wondered where Carly and Nolan were. They weren't there to distract him in the car, but maybe Carly would throw a tantrum inside or Nolan would crap his pants.

"Where's Carly and Nolan?" She checked, and her father knew exactly what she was thinking about.

"Next door playin'." He informed her as he shut his door. "Let's go to your room." There was no chance for interruptions unless the phone rang miraculously.

Riley followed him inside wordlessly as he tossed his car keys on the counter, letting them skid across the surface, then took off his hat and ran a hand over his hair to straighten it out. He let it drop to the surface also, then wordlessly motioned with his fingers for Riley to follow him. Riley briefly considered appealing for a snack, but decided it wouldn't be a good idea. She'd stalled enough already, and it seemed as though she was already on his bad side.

The father on a new mission opened her bedroom door, holding it open for her, and then closed it behind her.

"Please sit." He motioned to her bed. Riley obeyed and sat on the edge comfortably. When she realized she'd tucked her hands between her thighs like a little frightened puppy, she moved them so they were on the mattress right beside her, and her arms straightened. She looked up at Nick, who had since crossed his arms over his chest, making him even more intimidating. God, she hoped she wouldn't say anything stupid.

"Your behavior; your attitude; your mouth; your disrespect towards Sara and I, is going to stop." He informed her. Riley didn't know if she should laugh or be intimidated. Was he in a movie or something? She crossed her arms now, and knitted her eyebrows at him suspiciously.

_Stay strong_, Nick reminded himself as she glared up at him with such hate and defiance. That kid had such fire in her eyes, it was hard to ignore.

"I don't know how things were at your mom's house." He shook his head. "I don't pretend to. But in this house, you do what you are told, and you do it without complaining and throwing a hissy fit. I haven't been that strict with you up until this point, because I wanted to give you time to adjust, but it's time now for me to start puttin' my foot down."

The look on his face was so serious, his eyebrows raised and everything, and with his arms crossed he just looked too funny. Intimidating, but funny. Riley had to do something, because she couldn't take this. She burst out laughing. Nick torqued his jaw.

"Excuse me. Did I say something funny?" He challenged her, raising his voice a notch. Riley continued to laugh.

"I…I'm sorry, just that look on your face…it was just…beyond hilarious." She snickered and giggled throughout the whole sentence. The look on Nick's face could've drilled a hole through her skull. "I mean, do you really think you can tell me what to do?"

Nick had just about had it. He stepped forward and gripped her forearms with his hands firmly. "I thought thirteen year olds were too old to be spanked, but that's where you're heading, young lady." He threatened, his voice strict and no-nonsense. "You have just reached a level of immaturity beyond what I thought was possible, even for Carly. Knock it off now, or you're gonna have a sore butt."

He let his look linger for a few more moments, making sure he got his point across. He prayed it wouldn't have to come to that, but Riley was a piece of work. When he saw her face soften a little, and her lips purse together in compliance, he let her arms go. Nick stepped back and crossed his arms again, staring her down for several prolonged moments before continuing.

"There will be a new set of rules for you until you can prove to Sara and I that you are mature and responsible to handle anything else." The father continued on, using his fingers as a visual. "Number one – you do your homework immediately after school like you did at the beginning. One show, one snack, and then you hit the books."

Riley scoffed a little, but controlled her reaction before he continued.

"Two. You clean your room every Saturday, as well as sweeping and vacuuming the floor. If those chores are done in satisfaction with me and Sara, then you will get five dollars' allowance."

Nick was on a roll, and didn't stop, going straight to the next rule.

"Three. By bedtime tonight, I want all undergarments and clothes that I have deemed inappropriate in a plastic bag outside my room. If you need help distinguishing what's appropriate, I'll be happy to help. If I find any break in the dress code from now on, at home or at school, you'll be grounded for one week."

"Number four – You have a curfew of eight o'clock on school nights, and ten on the weekends. Any violation will result in punishment. And number five – you are to treat your teachers, Sara, and me with respect. Any backtalking, lying, disobedience, or any remote kind of disrespect will result in grounding and loss of privileges. Do I make myself clear?"

Riley couldn't stop herself from gaping at all the new rules, and the apparent no-nonsense policies. He was just throwing all this on her, and threatening to punish her if she didn't comply? Riley wanted the softy she'd known so far back. Was he really serious?

"Uhhh…I guess." She answered softly.

"Say 'yes, sir'." He prompted her, like his parents had always taught him.

"I'm not saying 'yes, sir'." She drew the line at that. They weren't in the year 1930.

"You're grounded for two weeks, by the way, starting today."

"Because I refuse to say 'yes sir'?!" She gaped, standing up.

"No. That has nothing to do with it, though it would be wise for you to start doing that." He told her, putting his hands on his hips. "You're grounded because of your late homework assignments, because you lied to me by not showing me those notices, and your disrespect."

Riley gaped again. She'd been doing that way too much this afternoon, and she needed to stop.

"You can't ground me!" She yelled at him angrily. Her world had fallen apart and now he was punishing her for being a little angry about things? How dare he!

Nick walked to the door and turned the knob. "I just did." He reminded her. "You have half an hour of relaxing time, then it's time for homework. I expect to see you at the table at…" He looked at his watch, "Five o'clock."

Riley was just glaring at him, looking quite shocked and hurt, but for once, he didn't mind. He'd just kicked some ass, he knew, and today was the day things were going to start changing around here. Nick closed the door behind him and heard an angry growl from inside, but instead of feeling guilty, he felt…not happy…but that he was finally doing his job right with her.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Please keep them coming!

The following Saturday, after having served three straight detentions and days of grounding resulting in many thoroughly boring days, Riley was actually a little relieved to be actually doing something. Sure, they were chores, but it was better than staring at the ceiling of her bedroom at eight o'clock at night after suffering through three hours of homework while her friends hung out. It was better than looking off into space, thinking about her mother, or having awful flashbacks about her stepfather, or thinking about whether or not she liked Nick and Sara. Yes, Riley was actually glad she was vacuuming the living room floor while her father sipped down yet another glass of lemon iced tea while he read the latest Parent Magazine. As she hauled the slightly outdated machine back and forth on the carpet, she would steal glances at him every now and then to see if he was watching her.

He seemed to be concentrating on a particular article, his eyes darting back and forth, so Riley hoovered the Hoover over so he'd have to move his feet. Instead of looking at her, his eyes moved to the outside of the couch, to the lever that popped the recliner section of the chair out. His feet now raised so Riley could vacuum where they had previously been, his eyes went back to the article he was practically inhaling. Maybe it was an article about how you shouldn't ground your teenage children, Riley hoped. Wouldn't that be great if he told her to turn the vacuum off and start apologizing to her? She could just hear him now…_Riley, I was wrong. Taking away your free time and forcing you to do extra chores is cruel and unusual. Feel free to go hang out with your friends and also start dressing promiscuously again_.

Yes, that would be wonderful, but ridiculously unrealistic. No lecture she'd ever gotten from anyone compared to what he'd told her last week. Man, oh man! Riley was having second thoughts that this man was a bit of a pushover. She could see he was strict and no-nonsense with Carly, but she was his _real_ kid. Riley had been forgotten…or never realized. Just a distant twinkle in his eye in comparison to the distinct gleam that Carly and Nolan no doubt created. Riley was that kid who he'd just happened to stumble upon after the unfortunate incident of his former lover's death. She could tell he felt guilty about not being in her life up until then, and she was living it up until he came to his senses, like she feared he eventually would. Riley felt out of control, and though she did like it in a very shallow sense, she ached deep down to have someone to give her a wake up call and tell her _This is not how you're supposed to live your life. You're better than this._ Was Nick finally the one who would do it?

Carly Nicole took a leaping bound onto the couch, landing on her stomach right next to her father, interrupting Riley's thoughts. Over the noise of the vacuum, Riley could hear her cackling in delight as Nick reached over and began tickling her armpits, her chin, her stomach, as she pretended to get away from him. He was telling her something, smiling, as she crawled onto his awaiting lap, his arms opening to the little girl. What she wouldn't give to have open arms like that as a little girl. Riley sighed and shut off the vacuum, hoping the job she'd done was good enough.

"Did you finish cleaning your room?" Nick asked Carly as she looked up at him with such awe. In her eyes, Nick could do no wrong.

"Yes, Daddy." She assured him, as she traced some lettering on his t-shirt with her tiny pointer finger.

"Aaaall your clothes are in the hamper?" He checked, tickling her stomach again.

"Yepp!" She smiled, biting her lip a little.

"And all those monkeys stopped jumping on your bed, and it's made?" He asked finally, giving her a playful look.

"Yeeeeeessss." She told him dramatically, and received a kiss on the forehead before Nick stood up with her in his arms.

"Alright, if you say so." Nick told her, scooping the magazine up also. "Let's go check."

Nick or Sara always did a little inspection of her room on Saturdays after she was supposed to clean it. Sometimes Riley felt like she was living in Pleasantville, the way Carly did exactly what they said without arguing. Riley sighed as she wrapped the cord of the vacuum around the holder.

"You did a good job, Ry." Nick looked back at the room and told her as he reached the stairs. "You wanna take a little break?"

Riley nodded and proceeded to the refrigerator to get a soda, and then plopped herself down on the couch to catch her breath. She'd already cleaned her room this morning and vacuumed all the family areas of the house. Now, she just had the kitchen and bathrooms left to sweep. Gross. She desperately wanted to get on her cell phone or myspace to tell her friend Allison back home about what a slave driver her real father was.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Nick was setting Carly down on the floor of her bedroom as he looked around. Her Dora bed was made perfectly – well, as perfectly as a five year old could make it. All her toys were put away. Her dirty clothes were in the hamper, and her cleans ones put in their proper place.

"I did a good job, didn't I Daddy?" Carly asked him as she hopped onto her bed.

"You did an excellent job, sweetheart. Well done." Nick praised her warmly. He smiled but decided not to say anything when he saw a couple Barbies sticking out from under her bed.

"Do I get to go play with Megan now?" She asked him excitedly, bouncing up and down a bit.

Nick smiled and nodded her head. "Yes, you may. Call first to make sure it's okay with her mom and dad, though."

Carly nodded and ran off downstairs to find the phone. Megan's parents were very good friends with Nick and Sara, so it was pretty much a guarantee it would be okay. They were still teaching the girls manners, though, and always had their daughters call to check. Nick smiled when he heard his daughter's little voice excitedly talking over the phone to her little friend as he made his way into the master bedroom, where Sara was making their bed. She winked at him when she saw him enter the room as she tucked the sheet into the corner.

"Hey, babe." Sara greeted him.

"Hey. Whatcha doin'?" He asked, causing Sara to smile. Nick always asked obvious questions when he had something on his mind and wanted to talk to her.

"Making our bed." She told him with a bit of tease in her voice. Sara stood and grabbed the comforter, fluffing it out over the mattress. Nick caught the other side and helped her lay it down straight. "You got something on your mind?"

Nick sighed, realizing he'd probably never be able to get anything past Sara. He could never hide his secrets from her. Sara was so good at finding out and fixing other people's problems – would she be able to sniff out what was really going on with Riley?

"I guess you could say that." Nick sighed as he rubbed his hand over his short hair. Sara tossed the decorative pillows back onto the head of their bed and plopped herself down, inviting Nick to do the same. They lay facing each other, Sara waiting for Nick to take the lead with whatever was bothering him.

"Baby, what's up?" Sara asked softly, lacing one of their hands together. Sometimes it took that to get him to open up – for her to reassure him it was okay to let it out. Nick sighed and reached to his back pocket and pulled out the latest Parent Magazine he'd been reading downstairs. He deposited it on the bed between them.

"I was readin' this article earlier, about kids who have been through traumatic experiences." He started, feeling Sara's thumb rub at the back of his hand. "It reminded me of Riley."

Sara just looked into his eyes, though he kept his down. "How so?"

"I don't know, Sar." He said dismissively, hoping he was wrong. "I mean, in our job we see horrible stuff all the time. Kids who've been beaten, abused, murdered. Doesn't Riley remind you a little bit of some of those kids?"

Sara thought for a few moments. In all honesty, Riley reminded her a lot of herself, though she'd been a kid to keep everything inside. She could tell Riley was hurting, but didn't want to probe much yet since she was the stepmother and she'd just lost her mom. Riley acted out instead of withdrawing, but in response to what?

"Are you saying that you think Riley's been through a traumatic event other than her parents dying?" She checked. Nick looked up finally into his wife's eyes.

"I don't know. Maybe. But I'm thinking even if I ask her about it, why would she talk to me?" He gestured and let his hand fall to the bed. "She's mad as hell at me right now for tightening the reins on her. I was afraid this was gonna happen, and that she won't open up to me…"

"Nick, stop." Sara told him firmly. "You did the right thing by coming down on her. Don't think for one minute that you're wrong on that. Kids need rules and they need boundaries. It's not until she feels comfortable and, to be frank, well-disciplined, that she's gonna open up about her past life. I'm sure she feels out of control right now; her compass is haywire…and yeah, she hates us for putting an end to her fun.

"So you agree? You think there might be something else?"

"I really don't know what to think with her, but yes possibly." She admitted to seeing certain warning signs. "Her defensiveness raises some red flags, as well as her style of dress…"

"What about her style of dress?" Nick asked, thinking of what he'd seen in the article.

"Well…sometimes girls who are trying to mature too quickly, or who have been, well, abused can…"

"Abused how?" He interrupted her again, afraid of what could be possible.

Sara sighed and squeezed his hand a little tighter. "Sexually, Nick." She told him softly. "I mean…there's a million other reasons Riley would dress like that. Mostly MTV and music and movie industry-based, but some of the girls we've seen start dressing way too mature for their age. Either that, or they cover up excessively.

"Yeah." Nick let out a sickened breath. "I just get the vibe that she really didn't like her stepdad, and her mom sounds like a real winner."

"What do you remember about her?" Sara finally asked. She'd never pushed him on his memories of that night before.

Nick raised his eyebrows. "I was drunk, Sar." She gave him a look and he sighed. "Pretty blonde, attention-seeking, loved Budweiser, gave good h-"

"Alright Nick." Sara put her hand on his chest and stopped him.

"Not as good as you." He smiled and gave her a wink. "She just wasn't good news all around, but she was there, and she was pretty."

"Good mother material?" She asked.

Nick shook his head no immediately. "Not from what I could tell. Seemed a bit narcissistic really. I couldn't see her caring much about anyone else."

Sara nodded. "Maybe too concerned with herself to pay much attention to her own daughter and what was going on with her?"

"I could see that." He agreed sadly. "In fact, she was probably the least motherly person I'd ever slept with."

Sara let out a huff. "And that's saying a lot." She teased him a bit.

Nick smirked and leaned forward to give her a tender kiss. "I just had to find the right person, and I found her." He kissed her again. "And I think I picked up a few good moves on the way, don't you think?"

Sara laughed and smacked him in the chest. "Seriously, Nick. I think we need to get Riley into some counseling pretty soon, and we need to start asking her some hard questions. See if anything really happened that she's not telling us."

He nodded and leaned forward to give her another sweet kiss. He couldn't think of a more perfect woman to spend his life with, and to raise children with. Sara Sidle Stokes was simply perfect.

A five year old giggle sounded from the doorway.

"Daddy and Mommy sittin' in a tree." Nick and Sara both smiled and turned to look at her. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!"

She squealed and hid behind the door when Nick moved to get off the bed. Nick smiled and easily found her, scooped her up, and blew a raspberry on her stomach.

"What do you think, Sar?" He held the little girl upside down by her ankles as she laughed. "Little girls who spy on their parents shouldn't get to go play at their friends' houses, should they?"

Sara laughed as she stood up from the bed and tickled Carly's immobilized body, causing her to sway in Nick's grip.

"Definitely not. No ice cream either." She teased.

"Nooooooo!!" Carly laughed. "I won't spy any more! I cross my heart!"

Nick expertly maneuvered her right way up and set her back on her feet on the floor.

"Alright, this time we'll let you go." He decided, and she wrapped her arms around his middle, giggling. Nick rubbed her back and then twirled her ponytail around a little.

"Thanks, Daddy." She told him, giving him one last firm squeeze.

"Good girl." He kissed the top of her head. "Why don't you go get your shoes and I'll walk you over."

"But I'm a big girl now! I can walk down the street by myself." She argued her point. It was true, but having seen what he'd seen, Nick would rather be safe.

"I know, sweetie, but I just wanna make sure you're safe."

Carly hugged her mother also and they scurried off to her bedroom to find her favorite tennis shoes. Nick brought his wife into a warm hug and kissed her cheek, then rested his face against hers.

"It just scares me so much to think about how much different Riley's childhood must've been from what Carly has." He admitted softly. "She's got two parents who love her, and let her know that, and make sure she stays out of trouble. What did Riley have?"

Sara rubbed her husband's back as she hugged him. "I don't know about her past, but right now she has two parents who love her, and let her know that, and who will make sure she stays out of trouble from now on." She played on his words.

Nick smiled and pulled back to look into Sara's eyes, then kissed her forehead. "You're right, babe. You're right."


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Sorry for the delay! I was very busy back home in Indiana, and then I got distracted by planes, challenges, interviews, and songs! Haha! Here's the next chapter, and there will probably be 2-3 chapters after this. Thanks for reviewing!

"Riley, turn it off." Nick's voice instructed his oldest daughter from the kitchen counter where he was sifting through the mail. Bills, bills, and more bills was all it seemed these days. Their finances had been thrown for a loop when Riley moved in. Kids, and teenagers especially, were expensive. College was just five years away now instead of twelve, and Nick didn't see how they'd ever be able to buy Riley a car. Not that her behavior right now warranted the purchase of a vehicle. Far from it. The sounds of TRL still played in the background several moments later, which had been on for the last half hour.

"Daddy, she's not turning it off!" Carly informed her father matter-of-factly from where she was playing Legos with her little brother on the floor. She looked up at her older sister with a certain amount of awe. Carly couldn't believe how often she refused to do what their dad said. The kindergartener wouldn't dare ignore him when he told her to do something. She was sure her world would come to an end.

Riley had passed her half-hour mark for watching television after school, and it was time now to start her homework. She had just suffered through her first week of being grounded, so she wasn't exactly chipper and ready to do whatever Nick or Sara told her. What did she really have to lose?

Nick cleared his throat and leaned back a little so he could make eye contact with her, but she avoided it. She still wasn't about to let him intimidate her, though it was hard.

"Riley." He said a bit more firmly this time, raising his eyebrows as he stared her down from his spot in the kitchen.

"You said one show. TRL's not over for another half hour." Riley informed him with a bit of sass in her voice as she turned the volume up higher on the TV. She didn't look at him as she tried to concentrate on the music video that was playing, and trying not to think about how her stomach hurt. Predictably, Nick slapped down the mail on the counter, strode over to the television, and turned it off. He then walked over to his oldest and retrieved the remote from her hand and set it on the coffee table, all the while eyeing her in annoyance.

"Homework. Now." He instructed her, putting his hand on her upper arm to get her moving. Riley rolled her eyes and began to sit up, shrugging his hand away.

"Ugghhh!!" She groaned in annoyance as she stomped over to the kitchen table where her backpack sat. Riley grumbled as she fished out her assignment notebook, which he checked every day now. She smacked it onto the table and glared at him as she walked to the kitchen.

"Where are you goin'?" He questioned her as he walked to the table to look over her assignments for the day. Nick had been in close contact with all her teachers, making sure he knew exactly what projects and tests were coming up, and what her daily assignments were.

"To the kitchen to get some Advil. Is that alright with you?" She asked with sass in her voice as she found the painkiller in one of the cabinets.

Nick raised his eyebrows as he thumbed through her notebook. "Let's check the attitude." He warned her as he found the page for today. Riley sighed and shook two tablets on to her hand. She retrieved a Mountain Dew from the fridge, cracked it open, and quickly downed the two pills, hoping they would help with the odd pains she was experiencing. Riley then trudged towards the kitchen table, Mountain Dew in hand, and plopped down at her chair as her father looked over her assignments.

"I see you have a test in social studies on Friday." He told her, reading her note of 'retarded freaking chapter ten test Friday'. "We should probably start helping you study for that tonight." Nick decided, since it was Wednesday.

Riley chose not to comment, taking another sip from her can as she waited for him to finish. She really hated being micromanaged like this, but apparently she had brought it upon herself.

"I got called in to work at five, so Sara will help you." He told her, and then noticed that she was wincing and grabbing at her stomach. "You okay?"

"Fine." She told him a bit shortly, closing her eyes. This wasn't any normal stomach ache she had ever experienced. It ached a bit more, like her muscles were sore.

Nick studied her for a few moments. "Well the soda probably isn't helping." He commented as he set her book down on the kitchen table. "Are you good to go on your other stuff? Looks like you have math problems, a chapter from your novel, social studies review pages, and some grammar worksheets."

"Yes, I know." She told him shortly, and winced some more.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Nick stroked her upper back with his hand gently, seeing she was in a bit of pain.

"I'm just peachy. Let me just get to work." She told him, clicking her mechanical pencil a few times to advance the lead. Nick decided to leave her be. He nodded after watching for a few moments and then disappeared upstairs to finish getting ready for work in a few minutes.

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Several hours later, Riley was trying to finish up the last of her homework. The Advil had helped, but she still didn't feel all that great. She couldn't describe it – she just felt kind of tired all over. Riley decided she needed to take another little break from her social studies review page. Sara had promised to help her review after they ate dinner. Not that she'd be heartbroken if she didn't. Carly was helping her cook enchiladas in the kitchen at the moment.

"Good. Now sprinkle some cheese over the top." Sara instructed her daughter, watching her drop big clumps on top. She smiled at her and then took a pinch of cheese herself and demonstrated. "Here, like this."

Carly watched her mother's technique carefully and tried her best to mimic it. The cheddar cheese filtered down between her tiny fingers, covering the tops of the chicken enchiladas they had already prepared.

"Did I do it right?" She checked, her innocent eyes checking with her mother. Her Mommy always knew how to do things right.

"Very good. That's perfect." Sara told her as she opened up the oven door. Carly crouched down and carefully got off her little purple step stool, which had her name painted on it. She stepped away from the stove like her mother had taught her, so she didn't get hurt.

"I stayed away from the oven." She told Sara, hoping to get some praise. Sara closed the door and then turned to her daughter, and ruffled her hair a little, smiling.

"Good girl." Sara praised her, and kissed the top of her head. Riley came in to the kitchen moments later to get another soda. When Sara saw her opening the fridge for yet another Mountain Dew, she spoke up.

"Riley, you don't need any more soda tonight. That's your third since school." Sara told her, knowing Mountain Dew was basically pure sugar. They'd found a teenager victim a while back who apparently lived off the stuff, and he already had rotten teeth.

"I don't feel good." She excused herself, popping another can open anyway. Sara sighed and took it from her hand, setting it on the counter. Riley swallowed and then gaped at her. "What was that for?"

Sara thought she was quite a bit more irritable today than she had been lately. Well, the kid had a mouth anyway, but today she had a lot more whine in her voice. She almost sounded like Carly at bedtime on a Friday night.

"You've had enough." Sara told her again firmly. "You can have it at dinner time if you're still that thirsty."

Riley offered her trademark eye-rolling and an annoyed, rude sound. She wordlessly stomped off towards the bathroom and closed the door a bit louder than necessary. Sara really knew how to stick her nose where it didn't belong. Who was she to tell her when and how much soda she should drink? Her mother sure didn't care. Riley sighed as pulled down her jeans and panties to use the restroom. Now that she thought about it, her mother didn't really care much about anything she did. Was that a good or bad thing?

She was lost in her thoughts for a few moments and happened to look down at her panties. Her heart dropped when she saw blood staining her pink and white cotton underwear.

"What the FUCK?!" She exclaimed, gaping at her undergarment. Riley quickly discovered that the blood was coming from "down there" as she called it and panicked. What the hell was going on with her? Sure, they'd taught her about this at school, but what was really happening? Was this normal? Riley sat on the toilet and suddenly felt very alone. She wanted her mother. She wanted her mother more than ever before, to come and explain all this to her and to tell her it was okay. To stroke her hair and rub her back the way she did when she was upset. Sure, they had their problems between each other, but she was still her momma. Riley put her head in her hands and began to cry.

In the living room, Carly walked up to her mother, who was now sitting on the couch with her feet propped up, reading the newspaper. She gently poked her mother's thigh, and Sara crinkled the paper down so she could see her daughter. Sara set it aside when she saw a worried look spread across the five year old's face.

"Sweetheart, what's the matter?"

"I think Riley's cryin'." She reported sadly as Sara wrapped an arm around her in comfort. Carly had been walking past the bathroom moments later and heard the unmistakable sound of sobs coming from within. She didn't like it when other people cried, especially people in her family.

"She's crying?" Sara checked with a gentle voice, stroking her hair. Carly nodded affirmatively and looked to her mother for guidance. "Where is she?"

"She's in the bathroom." Carly pointed, then brought her little hand back to her chest. Sara crinkled her forehead a bit and stood up, deciding she needed to go check on the teenager.

"Thank you, baby." Sara kissed the top of her head and gave her a reassuring smile. Carly could be a bit dramatic when it came to reporting other people's emotions and moods, but she definitely looked more concerned than usual. "Will you watch Nolan for a minute?"

Carly agreed, and Sara padded over to the downstairs bathroom where she'd seen Riley enter about ten minutes before. Putting her ear up to the door for a moment, she listened for any sounds, and could definitely hear some sniffling. She gently knocked.

"Riley?" She called softly. "It's Sara. Are you okay in there?"

Riley panicked momentarily. At first thought, she didn't want Sara to see her like this – see her crying and vulnerable, acting like a baby. She didn't want to give Sara the satisfaction of being able to help her. No, she wasn't her mother. This wasn't the type of thing she was allowed to help her with. Her homework, maybe, but definitely not the passage into womanhood.

"I…I'm fine." Riley told her, trying to control the shake in her voice, but she could tell she was failing miserably. CSI's were trained to sniff out things like that, so she was sure Sara had noticed she was whimpering like a three year old.

Sara paused outside for a few moments, not sure if she should continue. Something in her heart told her not to. Riley needed her.

"You don't sound okay." She told the young girl gently. "Can I come in?"

Riley whimpered in panic, and fresh tears came from her eyes. She realized she did want Sara to help her, but was she betraying her mother in allowing her to? Would her mother approve of letting this woman help her? This woman who Nick Stokes was now in love with, instead of her? She knew all about how Nick ignored her mother's phone calls after their night together.

Riley realized she felt so alone that she almost didn't care at that moment. She quickly pulled up her panties and jeans and wiped at her eyes. Checking quickly in the mirror, she saw that her mascara was running. There was really no use trying to hide it. She sighed and unlocked the door for Sara, then turned back around to hide her face anyway.

Sara stepped in wordlessly and closed and locked the door behind her. She rubbed her own upper arm for a few moments, feeling a bit uncomfortable. She knew that Riley didn't trust her all that much, and she was aware she hadn't exactly given her the warmest welcome imaginable. However, Sara really did care about Riley, not just because she was Nick's kid, but because she was starting to think of her as a daughter.

"Riley, I can see you're upset." Sara began gently, not wanting to sound pushy. "Do you wanna talk?"

Riley still faced away from her but rubbed at her wet eyes. She sniffled, and still felt embarrassed that Sara was seeing her so unwired, though Sara was being very nice about it. There was definitely something motherly about Sara, but a different type of motherliness than she was used to. Riley wasn't used to having adults gently coax things out of her, and patiently wait for her to compose herself. _Out with it_ was her mother's philosophy.

"I, uh…" She began, and couldn't find her words.

Sara leaned against the counter, not wanting to touch her and take the chance of turning her off. She could sense it was about something that had happened in the bathroom. Riley was thirteen. She put two and two together.

"Is it about something you found in the bathroom?" Sara guessed gently, turning her head a bit to try to look at her face. Riley quickly nodded and rubbed at her eyes again.

"I see." Sara told her very softly. "And did it scare you a bit?"

Another nod from Riley, and Sara could see that she seemed to be calming down a bit. Her shoulders relaxed and her whole body seemed to be untensing. This was the first time Sara actually felt like she was helping the girl.

"Well don't worry, sweetheart. It's perfectly normal, and I'm here to help you if you want it." Sara explained, watching her closely for a reaction. "Would you like me to help you?"

Riley hesitated for several prolonged moments. She did desperately want Sara to explain things to her and to assure her everything was okay. Why was it so hard to accept such love? Why was this new family so hard to accept?

"Y…yes. Please." Riley requested shakily, and finally turned around to look at Sara, who had such an understanding and genuinely concerned look on her face. Sara felt her own tears forming in her eyes, both at how relieved she was that Riley was letting her help, and the confusing feelings she must be having.

"Would you like a hug?" Sara asked her, and was surprised at how quickly Riley reacted. She shook her head affirmatively almost immediately and almost threw herself into Sara's arms. The teenager finally allowed her tears to flow. She didn't know why she was so emotional – she guessed it was partially due to the hormones they'd taught her about in health class. And damn those crazy emotions. Did she really like this lady, or was it just because she was having a hard time? Hugs were major things to Riley Groves.

Sara held her step-daughter tight and rubbed her back in reassurance. "It's alright. It happens to everyone." Sara told her, and Riley nodded. "Well, all girls." She corrected herself.

That earned her a small, nervous laugh from Riley as she pulled back and rubbed her eyes. Sara smiled at her lovingly and rubbed her upper arms supportively.

"Well, that's why you've been so crabby today, huh?" Sara smiled at her, and let out a little laugh. "That's part of it. I know they told you a lot in school, but sometimes it doesn't help much when it actually happens, huh?"

"No." Riley smiled and shook her head. It felt kind of good to let Sara in, but she wasn't going to go overboard. She'd let her help with this, and then she'd reassess things. "It's really kind of frightening."

"It can be. But I'll explain everything." Sara reached into the cabinet to find the needed items and led Riley to sit on the edge of the bathtub and took a deep breath. She didn't think she'd have to have this talk for almost another decade. "Well, first of all…"


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: The drama returns in this chapter… Thanks for reviewing, and please keep it up! You rock!!

"I really did not want to know that." Nick told his wife honestly as he pulled back the covers on his side of the bed the following morning when he returned home. Sara had just explained to him that Riley had "become a woman", but Nick would have been happier and less tense not knowing it. I mean jeez, he'd known her a few months – he really didn't want to know about the onset of her menses. Sara smirked at him as she turned onto her side to face him.

"Awww, what's the matter?" She began in a teasy voice, having known just what her husband's reaction would be. "Are you embarrassed, Nicky?" Sara smiled as he eased himself under the covers and settled in, rubbing her hand up and down his chest.

Nick gave her a look, knowing he wasn't going to get any sympathy from her. He settled his head against his pillow and looked up at the ceiling as he spoke. "Do I need to remind you I grew up with five sisters? I know how this stuff works, I would just die a much happier person not knowing about it."

Sara smiled and cupped his face gently to turn him towards her, then planted a sweet kiss on his lips. "I know, baby. You're so cute when you're embarrassed though." Nick smiled and kissed her back slowly and thoroughly as the sun began to peek through the blinds, reminding Sara it was time to get up. Just as Nick's hand was beginning to travel under his wife's tanktop, her alarm went off. She broke off the kiss and let her forehead rest against Nick's.

"Damn." She told him as he caressed her arm lovingly. When their shifts were changed on occasion, or either were forced to pull a double, it really threw their romantic life and sleep patterns for a loop. Nick sighed and looked up at his wife, tousling her hair gently that cascading around her beautiful face as she leaned over him. She was the most gorgeous woman he'd ever seen, even with no make up, first thing in the morning. Nick suddenly flipped them over so she was beneath his, causing Sara to squeal in delight. In the process, he hit the snooze button on the alarm. He sandwiched his wife between his body and the mattress, and gave her a passionate kiss.

"We're hittin' the snooze button this morning, darlin'."

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After a satisfying quickie in bed, Sara crawled out of bed and headed towards her shower to start her day. She climbed in and began to go through her daily 'to do's in her mind as she washed herself with her Dove Moisturizing Body Wash. First of all, she needed to make sure she wrote a note to Carly's teacher about going on that field trip to the zoo next month. Since Nick would be sleeping through the day, she would need to take Nolan in to the CSI daycare center. Of course, he'd rather spend the day with his daddy, but as soon as he met up with his little friends, he would be all smiles. She also needed to make sure Riley had plenty of feminine products for her first day back at school. Riley had seemed rather nervous and worried the night before as she thought about the next day, and whether she'd be able to get to the restroom in time in case of an emergency. She'd expressed this to Sara, and also told her that her history teacher was known to be an ass about giving anyone a bathroom pass. Sara briefly considered emailing him to explain the situation, but quickly scrapped it. Riley would be mortified if her male history teacher knew about her menstrual cycle. She was also be mortified if Nick found out, Sara knew. She made another mental note to remind Nick not to act weird around his daughter. Sara didn't want to jeopardize the honesty Riley was showing towards her by embarrassing the kid.

Ten minutes later, Sara stepped out of the shower and quickly changed back into her pajamas, and then wrapped her wet hair up in a towel for the time being so she could wake up the children. She hoped that Riley would not give her a hard time this morning, since Nick was sleeping. The mother decided to go into Carly's room first. Predictably, she found her young daughter in a position reserved only for the very young. Her mouth was opened slightly, with one leg bent and one leg straightened, her covers partially kicked off. A soggy thumb hovered on the pillow near her mouth, suggesting she'd been sucking on it during the night, and the other arm clutched her favorite stuffed animal. Her tiny chest moved up and down with each breath. Sara almost didn't have the heart to wake her, but alas, school was waiting.

She smiled as she sat down on the edge of Carly's bed, and began to gently stroke her cheek. Sara then bent down to kiss her forehead, causing the kindergartener to stir, and her eyes flutter open.

"Hi Mommy." She told her mother sleepily, as she tried to focus on her through fuzzy pupils.

"Good morning, sweetheart." Sara stroked her hair and spoke warmly. Carly began to sit up so she could crawl into her mother's lap, which always helped wake her up. "Did you have a good sleep?"

"Uh-huh." The five year old nodded her head as she snuggled in. "I had a dream about you, Mommy."

"You did?" She cooed gently as she rubbed her back to get her going. "What was I doing?"

Carly went on to explain her odd dream about them living in a castle and that Sara had refused to eat the chicken they'd made for her, and that Daddy had gotten really mad at her. She laughed at it and then carried her middle child down the stairs to fix her breakfast, and so she could wake Riley up. Sara knocked and pushed her door open to find Riley already awake, looking nervous.

"Morning, Riley." Sara greeted her and walked over to her bed. Riley had an uncomfortable look on her face as she looked up at her stepmother. "You okay?"

"My ovaries hurt already and it feels like I'm wearing a diaper again." Riley complained honestly.

Sara laughed at her explanation, causing Riley to smile just a tad. She gently patted the teenager's arm. "I know it feels weird. Especially in the morning. How about you go take a shower, and I'll have some Advil waiting for you?" Sara suggested to her.

Riley nodded and realized she was beginning to feel thankful to have Sara around. She really was pretty caring and Riley now felt like Sara actually liked her. The seventh grader hadn't been sure of that in the beginning. Now that she wasn't corrupting Carly as much, they got along much better.

"Thanks, Sara." She said groggily, looking up at her stepmother. Sara winked at her.

"No problem, kid."

Sara helped her up and Riley then went to shower and get ready for school while Sara made breakfast and got things ready for the day. When it was almost ready for her to leave with the kids, Sara went upstairs to say goodbye to her husband. It always took him a while to fall asleep, so when Sara opened the door, his eyes flashed at her. He smiled as she walked over to the bed, dressed business-casually for her day at work. She sat down on the edge and leaned down to kiss him tenderly, feeling his hands go to her sides.

"Hey, babe." He greeted her.

"Hey." She smiled, looking down at him. "We're about to leave. I just wanted to remind you not to act like a total doofus towards Riley when she gets home from school today."

Nick quirked his eyebrows at her, pretending to be offended. "And just why would you think I'd act like a quote doofus towards our teenage daughter?"

"Because you do." Sara smiled, and laughed when she felt him pinch her bottom lightly. "Ow! You're such an asshole." She joked, swatting him on the bicep.

"You're starting to sound like Riley now. You better watch out." He warned her, smiling as she stood up and gave him another kiss.

"Goodbye, Nicholas." She rolled her eyes at him as she walked towards the door. Nick smiled to himself and settled back into the covers, quite pleased with himself.

"Bye, babe."

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Nick had managed to not make an ass out of himself when Riley returned home from school that day. He made casual conversation about how her day had been, and she answered him like she normally did, but then when straight into the upstairs bathroom. She hated using the school's restrooms, so she held out as long as she could. When she returned, she went to get herself a soda and some more Advil.

"You feelin' okay?" Nick asked as he rinsed out a cup he'd used earlier at the sink. He mentally kicked himself, hoping she wouldn't see through his slip up of a question. Riley narrowed her eyes at him for a moment.

"Fine." She told him as she played with the Advil in her hand, eyeing them. "Just a headache."

Nick nodded and turned the faucet off and then gave her a kiss on the forehead. He felt bad being a guy and all, and not understanding what she was going through. "You can watch tv for an hour today if you want." Nick told her as he began walking towards the laundry room.

Riley watched him as he walked. "Why?"

Nick stopped and turned to look at her, realizing he was giving himself away. "Uhhhh…well you've been good this week about being grounded, so I thought I'd give you a break." Nick offered a non-toothy smile to her, and then went to go start a load of whites. Riley shrugged and then downed her pills. She plopped down on the couch and began to channel surf with the remote. Carly was currently in the neighbor's backyard playing with one of her friends, and Nolan had zonked out earlier and was in his crib. Nick came back in moments later and looked at his daughter, and then at his watch.

"Baby, I'm gonna run to the store to pick up a few things." Nick told her. "Nolan should sleep for at least another hour, and Carly's playing at the Jenkins' all afternoon. Will you be okay?"

Riley looked up at him from where she was laying on the couch. He was actually going to leave her alone and actually trusted her not to burn the house down? Wow! Stupid, but wow! She quickly nodded her head and tried not to act too excited.

"Sure. I'll be fine." She agreed. Nick nodded and put his hands on his hips, surveying in his mind what needed to be done.

"Great. I'll be back probably around 4:30. I expect you to have already started your homework when I get back. Clear?" He asked as he walked over to her to kiss her forehead.

"Yes, Nick." She agreed. Nick winked at her and then found his car keys, shopping list, and his cell phone.

"Alright. Be good." He reminded her as he headed towards the garage. "And call me if Nolan wakes up."

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

About forty-five minutes later, Sara Stokes pulled into the driveway of her home, on a beautiful sunny day. The day-shift supervisor had let her leave a little early today since they'd solved the biggest case of the month. She noticed her husband's Denali was gone, but figured he'd just run to the store. Sara smiled as she picked up her work bag and then clicked the Denali locked. Walking towards the front door, she thought she heard the distinct sound of laughter coming from the back porch.

The door was unlocked, so she walked in and closed the door, hearing silence inside. "Hello?" She called to anyone who might be in the house. Moments later, a worried looking Carly came rushing to her, with pudding all over her face and cookie crumbs caking her shirt.

"Mommy!!" She looked relieved to see her mother, and would have given her a messy hug if Sara hadn't stopped her.

"Woah, woah, woah." Sara grabbed her arm before she got pudding all over her dry clean only blouse. "What's all this on your face and shirt?" She tugged a little on her daughter's shirt to prove her point.

Carly would have been concerned about getting in trouble for getting pudding and cookies without permission, if Riley hadn't been scaring her.

"I was a bad girl, but Riley's being badder!" She told her mother hurriedly, looking towards the back of the house. Carly tugged on her mother's blouse to get her to hurry along.

Sara sighed and put her work bag down. Where the hell was Nick, and what had their daughters been up to while he was gone? "What do you mean Riley's being bad?"

Carly's hand pulling on her arm soon answered her question, as the five year old led her mother to the sliding glass door at the back of their house. There, standing outside the door was Riley, surrounded by three of her friends, one of them male. All three of her "friends" were smoking cigarettes on the back porch.

"Mommy, lookit!" Carly pointed, still holding her mother's hand. Carly knew that cigarettes were bad, and when she'd seen Riley and her friends from the next yard over, she'd snuck around to the front door, hoping to find her daddy. When she found he wasn't there, she got worried, but was soon distracted by the pudding in the fridge and that jar full of chocolate chip cookies. Now she was a mess, and probably in trouble, but Riley was going to smoke!!

Sara let out a disgusted sound. Riley Michelle Groves, who was supposed to be grounded from her friends, inside doing her homework, was hanging with a bunch of low-lives who smoked cigarettes. And in front of her five-year-old, impressionable daughter nonetheless. Sara was furious. Not just that Riley had disobeyed them again, but that she'd put Carly and Nolan in danger willingly. And where the hell was Nolan anyway? If Nick was gone, she was supposed to be watching her brother and sister!

"Carly, go up to your room." Sara told her firmly as she felt her heartbeat begin to race. Sara had tried to welcome Riley into their home, and now she had completely crossed the line.

"But, Mommy!"

"Now." Sara told her, glaring at the back of Riley's head, who was still oblivious to her stepmother being home. Nick wasn't due home for about another twenty minutes.

Carly whimpered, but quickly complied. She sensed her mother was not in the mood to be messed with. She hoped Riley would be in big trouble for letting those kids with nasty cigarettes around their house!

Sara angrily opened the sliding glass door, causing the four teenagers to spin around with guilty looks on their faces. The three who were smoking quickly tried to toss them behind their backs and stomp them out, but it was no use. They had been caught red-handed. Sara was an angry mother on a mission, as she surveyed the four dumbstruck teenagers. The boy had his lip pierced, and was wearing a trucker hat that read "World's Best Mom" crooked on top of his dark brown hair, that was no doubt greasy. His clothes weren't much better.

"You three!" She raised her voice to Riley's three friends. "Get yourselves home now! I will be contacting your parents about this!" Sara's angry finger pointed towards their front door. The two girls gulped a little and looked sympathetically at Riley. One had blonde hair with dark roots seeping through at the top, making her look just downright trashy when it was paired with Daisy Duke denim shorts and a tank top that displayed her almost non-existent cleavage. She thought she recognized the other girl from one of her cases. Sara doubted any of their parents would care, but she sure as hell was going to be calling them about this anyway and telling them to stay away from Riley.

The three teenagers moseyed through the house and quickly left, glad they didn't have Sara as a stepmother. Riley had told them all about her new parents, and her old parents also. None of it was complimentary. Sara turned her attention back to her teenager, who was looking down guiltily, but almost looked angry that she'd just been caught.

"And you." Sara began lowly. "Get you little self in your bedroom until I am calm enough to deal with you!"

Riley ran her tongue around in her mouth and looked at Sara briefly as she walked into the house. Sara watched her the entire time and began following her on her path to her bedroom. She knew it wasn't a good idea to start yelling at her now, but she could barely contain her anger. Riley had brought cigarettes into their home.

"What the hell were you thinking, Riley Michelle?" She exclaimed as they walked. "Cigarettes! You're thirteen!"

Riley spun around and glared at Sara. "I wasn't smoking any, in case you were too blind to see! And thanks for embarrassing me in front of my friends!"

Both females were now staring each other down in the hallway, both angry and irritated. "Friends?!" Sara gaped. "You call those juvenile delinquents friends?"

"Well, they're about all I have right now, since you and Nick are both freakin' homework and chore Nazis!" Riley yelled, gesturing wildly with her hands. She turned to retreat to her room, but Sara caught her arm and turned her back towards her.

"We are trying to get you back on track, Riley Michelle, so you can get an education, not hang out with thugs who smoke in our backyard! In front of MY daughter!!" Sara boomed.

Riley stared at Sara, as if she had just discovered her stepmother's true intentions again. My daughter. She'd said my daughter, implying that Riley was an outsider and wasn't part of this family. Riley realized she was still just Nick's bastard kid that had disrupted their lives. Sara just loved Carly and Nolan, not her. And Nick probably thought the same. Riley roughly took her arm back and glared at Sara one last time.

"Sorry I messed up your perfect little family so much!" She shot back, tears in her eyes. Sara immediately felt bad for using those words. It had just slipped out.

"Riley, that's not what I meant." Sara told her a little more gently as she began to walk towards her. She was met with a door slamming just inches from her face. Sara put her hand on the doorframe and sighed. She'd gone way too far, she knew. Sara mentally kicked herself for not keeping her mouth shut until she had calmed down. Sighing, she walked back to the living room and collapsed onto the couch. Things were just so messed up in this house right now.

Nick picked this opportune time to pull into the driveway after his trip to the grocery store. He parked and noticed Sara was home early, which he smiled at. They could have a nice night, altogether, he thought as he walked to the front door and then opened it.

He was not met with his usual greeting of Carly running to him, or Nolan gurgling 'Da' at him. Instead, he heard an empty house, and couldn't help but sense an angry sadness in the air. He stepped in further to find the dining room table unoccupied by Riley and her homework, but found his wife looking quite distraught on the couch. Nick set down the bag he was carrying on the floor and immediately went over to his teary-eyed partner.

"Baby, what's the matter?" He asked as he sat down and put his arm around her. Nick figured it was something to do with the PTA or the fact Riley wasn't doing her homework.

"I ruined it." Sara choked out through her sobs.

"Ruined what?" He asked gently and patiently.

"I snapped at Riley. She had friends over and they were smoking in the backyard." She told her husband, which caused him to immediately change into angry father mode. He swallowed as Sara continued, struggling. "I snapped at her and said I didn't want her smoking friends around my daughter, and it upset her."

Nick put his hand on his wife's thigh and gently rubbed it. "Baby, you shouldn't worry about that." He said gently, looking into her eyes. "It was just a slip of words. She's just angry because she got caught and she knows she's gonna be punished."

Sara wiped at her eyes and nodded, trying to focus on Nick's words. He was right. She was just angry because she was in trouble. But it wasn't helping. Sara still felt horrible.

"I'm a bad mother." She sobbed to Nick and tried to hide her face until Nick gently took it in his hands and tilted her head up towards him.

"Listen to me." He began seriously, looking into her eyes. "You are a wonderful mother. You made a little mistake, but that's nothing compared to what Riley just did."

Sara hiccupped a little, and then Nick leaned in to gently kiss her on the lips. She accepted it, and began to feel a little calmer because of it. Sara knew she wanted to apologize to Riley, but she'd let Nick handle it for now. They shared a brief hug before Nick kissed her forehead and sighed.

"I'm gonna go talk to her right now." He decided. "What she did was inexcusable, and I'm gonna get to the bottom of it."

Sara nodded and watched her husband get up and walk back towards their oldest daughter's bedroom. She was feeling much better now, and that the worst was over with. Little did she know that a new nightmare was just about to begin. Moments later, Nick came back in, looking very worried.

"Sara, she's not in her room." He told her, disturbance in his voice. Sara gaped and got off her seat to go see what he was talking about. They went back to her room and looked in her closet again, under her bed, and Nick again observed her opened bedroom window. He and Sara made eye contact, both of their orbs filled with worry and dread.

"She's gone."


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: More drama!! This will be an emotional chapter, and secrets (but not all) will be revealed! I think there will be one more chapter after this. However, I do have two more fics in my mind (don't worry Cole! I'm still thinking!). One I may actually be looking for some help on – it will be a sequel to Lainey Stokes, but will be about her younger sister Reagan. She will be a gymnast, so I'm looking for anyone who can perhaps provide insight into that world and knows the skills and jargon and stuff. Let me know if you're interested!

Anyways…on with the chapter. Thanks so much for reviewing! They really mean a lot to me: )

Walking quickly with her eyes full of tears, Riley Groves tried to remind herself that she was in public for crying out loud. Her mother had always taught her to never let her emotions show around people you didn't want to talk to them about with. Never cry in public, because people will see you are weak. So, if she didn't want Nick and Sara to see her emotions, then she should never cry in front of them right? And that was why she was running away. Running back to Tucson, however she could get there. She couldn't stay here another minute with people who saw her as an interruption; an inconvenience. No, she was going to do what Chris Daughtry, or at least the people who wrote his songs, told her. She was going home, to the place where she belonged.

She had her cell phone, a back pack with a few snacks, a couple changes of clothes, and thirty bucks she'd managed to somehow save up from her measly five dollar a week allowance from Nick. That would at least buy her a Greyhound Ticket. When she got there, she'd stay with her best friend Allison. Her mom had even offered for her to stay with them after her mother had died, but nooooooo. Her stupid birth certificate had named Nick call-me-sir Stokes as her father, and according to the laws of the great state of Arizona, she rightfully belonged with him. Didn't they check into the homes of these people? Wasn't there a process? How could they leave her with some overly strict, reads-over-her-shoulder, investigator prick and his even nosier wife? It was the complete opposite environment that she had grown up in, and they expected to just be able to flip a switch and adjust? This was not the Sally Jessy Raphael Show! She didn't want to talk about her feelings and she didn't want to accept things!

When Riley knew she was a safe distance away from the Stokes' house (that's right the STOKES' – not HER house, dammit!), she sat down on a bench and scrolled through her phone book. She found her friend Allison near the top and hit dial. Letting out a deep breath, she was going to not break down, she told herself. When she heard Allison's voice, she wasn't going to cling onto it like she was clinging to the last piece of sediment on a crumbling windowsill in a high-rise building way up in the air.

"Riley?" Allison's voice answered in question, and though she was hundreds of miles away, it felt like she was within reach.

"Allison!" Riley lost her battle with tears in that instant. She started crying, and heard her best friend doing her best to calm her down over the phone.

"Riley, will you calm down and tell me what's wrong?" She begged from where she was sitting at the breakfast bar, looking over at her mother worriedly. "Is it your dad again?"

"I hate it here!" She managed to sob out, resting her head in her free hand. "They don't like me, and I don't like them. I wanna come home!"

Allison's mother was concerned about Riley, based on her daughter's facial expression and her words. Riley had always been a bit of a drama queen, and gotten into her fair share of trouble, but Sue Bradley cared about the girl deeply. The girl had spent many nights in this very house, and Sue truly felt about her as a daughter.

"What happened?" Allison asked.

"It's just everything." Riley pushed back the hair that was falling over her face as she sniffled. "I'm gonna catch a Greyhound back to Tuscon. Can your mom pick me up?"

Allison winced and got off her bar stool to walk to her mother. "Well, you're always welcome, but are you sure that's such a good idea Riley?"

"I'm doing it, Allison. I'll call you later when I know what time I'll get there." Riley hung up the phone, chilled by Allison's response. For once, she wasn't agreeing with her. Well, she wasn't disagreeing, but Riley could tell she didn't think it was a wise move. But she didn't know Nick, and she didn't know Sara. Riley stood up and kept walking towards the Greyhound bus station.

She walked up to the ticket booth at the station and looked at the outgoing bus schedule. There was a bus heading to Tucson in two flippin' hours. And the fare? Eighty four bucks!

"Excuse me?" Riley asked the man rather adultly, she thought. She would rather not talk to him, but there was no one else around. He looked like he hadn't showered before his shift, he had a large belly, and Riley wouldn't be surprised if there were bugs crawling in that nasty beard of his. "Is there a fare discount for minors?"

The man with a white a gray speckled beard raised his eyebrows at the kid, who just looked like pure trouble, he thought. "If you're traveling with an adult."

Riley sighed. "Is there a way you could give me a discount traveling by myself?"

The old man quirked a frighteningly bushy eyebrow. "Minors are not allowed to travel on Greyhounds by themselves. What's your name?"

Riley realized he was about to call the police, as he was reaching for the phone. She glared at him and backed away slowly. When he began speaking into the phone, she just ran. Damn the Greyhound Company!!

The lonely thirteen year old ran some more, in what she thought she remembered as the highway. She would just hitchhike, she decided. If she got murdered, Riley figured it would at least make a nice Lifetime movie. She could just the TVGuide headline as it came up at the eleven o'clock showtime: After being molested as a child, Riley Groves is forced to live with her psychotic biological father and stepmother after her parents die in a horrible car crash. Find out what happens when they tick her off for the last time!

Riley began walking along what she assumed was a state road, holding her thumb out, hoping that someone reasonably intelligent and non-violent would pick her up. It was beginning to get dark now, so the headlights shone on her body whenever they whooshed on by. Riley wondered what it would feel like to get hit by one of them. That would put an end to all this pain she was feeling.

She looked back every time she noticed her body being illuminated, hoping that someone would feel sorry for what her mother always called her "damn puppy dog eyes", and pick her up. Finally, after walking for about fifteen minutes, she noticed an SUV slowing down and indicating that it was pulling over. She sighed a little in relief, but that quickly disappeared when she saw who it was. Blinded by the headlights, she couldn't see it was Nick until it was almost too late. She recognized the outline of his body and didn't take the time to check his facial expression.

"Riley!" He yelled after her as she began to run down the shoulder of the road. Riley tried not to cry again as she ran, seeing blurbs of light in her eyes from looking into the Denali's headlights. "Riley, stop!"

His southern accent just annoyed her more, and she continued running, but could hear over her crying and labored breath that he was running after her. Her blurred vision caused her to trip on a branch that had fallen onto the shoulder, and she fell onto her knees, her forearms breaking her fall.

Nick slowed now that he saw Riley had stopped. However, when she started crying even more, he hurried his pace up again. She'd probably scraped herself up now from falling. He soon reached his daughter and knelt down beside where she hunched over, defeated, assessing the wounds on her hands and forearms.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked gently, without a hint of anger in his voice. He just wanted Riley to be okay, and for her to be happy. Nick knew she wasn't happy here. Sue Bradley had called him about twenty minutes ago, saying she called Allison from near a Greyhound station. He hopped in his Denali right away to search for her, and found her about half a mile from the station. An old bearded guy had directed him in the direction she had apparently run.

Riley put two and two together, and realized Allison or her mother had probably called him. They had his number now, and she'd acted like an out-of-control wild child on the phone with her. That didn't mean she had to give away to Nick where she was. Riley was totally taking Allison off her top five friends on myspace when she next got internet access.

Nick reached out to grasp her forearm to get a better look and she pushed him away. "Get off of me!" She then rose to her feet and began walking again with a bit of a hobble. Nick was quick, however, and grabbed her upper arm to spin her around, though not hard enough to hurt her.

"Leave me alone!!" She screamed at him, trying to push at his chest, but he kept a firm grip on her arms until she just gave in. The gentle voice he'd used with her moments before was gone when he spoke again, the fear of her getting hurt fresh in his mind.

"I am not going to leave you alone, Riley Michelle!" He informed her as she still wriggled around and avoided eye contact with him. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for a thirteen year old girl to be walking around alone at night? Not to even mention hitchhiking!"

"Yeah, I know. And I don't care. Big deal if someone murders me or rapes me. I'm not worth anything anyway." She told him bitterly, trying to control her crying.

Nick was about to yell at her again, but then stopped with his mouth open. He listened to what she said. Instead of holding her arms, he took both of her hands in his. This girl, while outwardly she was full of sass any seemingly confident, was really just lost and had low self-esteem. Though she pushed his buttons, he reminded himself to be the adult and listen.

"You are worth more than you know." Nick told her firmly, lowering his voice a little, but it still had that angry fatherly tone to it.

"That's complete bull and you know it." She retorted, wanting him to let go of her hands, but he was still holding them tightly.

"Riley, listen!" He raised his voice again. "I know you're hurtin' and I know you're not used to the way Sara and I are trying to raise you, but we do love you."

Riley choked on her sob as a semi passed them on the road. She suddenly felt exposed. Maybe someone would call the cops, saying there was some man trying to kidnap a teenager, and it would put an end to this little heart to heart. More like a yelling at. Nick saw this wasn't the most convenient place to have a word with his daughter, so he turned, and began leading her by the hand back to the Denali.

"C'mon." He told her, and when she resisted against him, took her by the upper arm again. Moments later, they reached the car and Nick opened the passenger door and led his daughter to sit, with her feet dangling out the side. He held her right hand in his and then put his other on the seat, just in case she decided to run. Not that she'd get far with him standing right there.

"Look at me." He instructed her, and she avoided him. Nick shook his head a little at her stubbornness. "Fine. Listen."

"I know you had problems with your mom and stepdad. I don't know what kind, but you didn't get along right?" He guessed, but didn't wait for an answer.

"But I know you loved them despite all of that, and you're still really upset that they died. That's understandable, Ry, and that's part of the grieving process."

Riley just whimpered and decided to listen to what he was saying.

"Then you're forced to move to a new state, far away from home, with four people you've never met. And while you maybe don't mind the people you live with, you can't stand the tighter rules. Am I right?"

Riley nodded and pawed at her face.

"Now, I didn't know your mom very well, but I know without a doubt that she wanted what's best for you." Nick went on. All mothers wanted that. "She didn't always know how to give it to you, or in the right way, but she sure tried. And that's why you love her, because she's your mom."

Riley wasn't quite sure what he was getting at, but she finally made eye contact with him to read his mood. He looked concerned, and as if he were hoping to somehow close that mountainous gap between them.

"Well, Sara and I want the same. We want what's best for you, Riley, and we love you." He clarified for her. "Our approach to discipline may be different than your mom and stepdad's, but that's the way we do things. We're coming down hard on you because we want to see you succeed. Can you understand that?" His voice was firm, but somehow gentle. It was a voice of reason.

Nick thought he was getting through when he saw her face well up with tears, but soon her face turned angry.

"Well if you love me than why the hell'd it take you thirteen years to freakin' find me?" She demanded of him, hating that he was seeing her cry yet again. Don't show your emotions, because he'll think you're weak, Riley told herself. But dammit, he needed to know what she thought of him and it was high time she told him, even if she was bawling her eyes out as she did so.

"Riley…"

"My momma called you for a week, Nick!! A week!! And you never answered! She knew she was pregnant and she was trying to tell you. She left a fucking message on your answering machine that she was pregnant with me and you never called her back!" She spat at him what she knew from her mother about it. Nick was just trying to take this all in, all these accusations.

"Riley, that's not what…"

"Not what happened right?" She finished for him, her voice cracking. "Well she told me to bust your ass if I ever found you! You used her! You slept with her for a whole week, and she told you that she loved you! And then when you were done screwin' her, you took off and went on to find some slut to feel up!"

"Riley, stop!" Nick demanded, having heard enough. All the lies that her mother had told her, and he was just finding out. What on earth had gone through that woman's head?

"You're an asshole!" Riley accused him, pushing at his shoulders again. Nick grabbed both her wrists and maintained a hold on them.

"Listen to me!" He asked her in a firm voice, looking at her face. Riley cried and tried to wipe at her eyes with her arm. "You haven't even let me tell my side of the story. Hardly any of that is true, not at least from what I remember."

"Are you calling my momma a liar? You sure let her feel like a piece of shit!" Riley kicked at his leg, but it didn't have much of an effect. He held both wrists with one of his hands and now pinned the fronts of her knees with the other.

"First thing, you need to quit trying to hit and kick me." He called her on her violent behavior. "Is that understood?"

Riley nodded, seeing that he was actually going to be a man and explain what had happened, not take the chicken shit way out and promise her, "I'll tell you when you're older."

Nick lessened his grip on her bit by bit until he could tell she was for sure not going to kick or punch him. He put his hands back on the sides of her seat and took a deep breath.

"Your mother and I…" He began, trying to recall the details. "We met up in a bar in Texas. You know that much, right?"

She nodded affirmatively.

"We start drinkin', and I'm attracted to her, and I can tell she likes me a lot too. So, boom bang, we hook up at a hotel that night." He told his daughter, making a face as if he were disgusted with himself. "We have a nice night together, so I do give her my number. And yes, we talked a couple more times that week but we didn't meet up again. I know this sounds like it came out of a movie, but back in those days we didn't have cell phones where you could save someone's number. I lost her number, and I got a job offer in Vegas the very next day. I packed up my stuff and moved that night. If she left a message on my machine, it would still be bleeping I'm sure if we found it right now."

"You never thought of stopping by her house to say bye, or looking up her number in something called a phone book?" Riley accused him, her voice softer, but still with anger and resentment in it.

Nick cleared his throat. "I never went to her house, and she never told me her last name." He informed his daughter. "Riley, I…I don't know what to say. I am sorry I kind of deserted your mom like that, but I thought it was just a one time thing, and I had no idea she was pregnant. Believe me, I would've stayed and raised you with her if I had known. Well, I don't think we would've ended up together, but I would've been there."

Riley studied his face and swung her legs a little. He did seem genuinely sorry, and his story seemed to check out. Confusion, miscommunication, moving…it all added up to a really bad made for TV movie.

"There's nothing I can do about missing out on the first thirteen years of your life." Nick went on. "I would love to have been there, but I can't change that now. You had a good life with your mom and stepdad, but now it's time to move on. I think she'd want you to move on and be happy."

"I'm not forgetting about my mom!" She told him shortly. "And you don't know anything about me and what makes me happy! I hate my stepdad and I'm glad he's dead! I just wish she wouldn't have died with him."

Nick thought back to that magazine article he'd read about children who had been through traumatic events – abuse, molestation. Riley really did remind him of those kids. He was slightly afraid she was going to kick him in the nuts, but since they were being honest with each other, Nick decided he needed to go for it.

"Why do you hate your stepdad?" Nick asked her, and she whimpered and looked away in response. Nick patted her knee lightly. "Hmmm? Can you tell me?"

Riley worked her tongue around in her mouth, tracing the outline of her molars, debating whether she wanted to tell Nick or not. She knew he was trying to help, but he was also a guy. And thanks to her stepdad, she had trouble trusting guys, even ones she knew for a fact were harmless.

"I don't wanna talk about it right now." She mumbled, having had enough emotional trauma for one night.

Nick studied her face. She'd said 'right now'. Maybe that was progress. It was hard to tell with Riley sometimes what was progress. Things with her were always two steps forward, one step back. Nick didn't want to screw up the ground he'd gained, so he decided not to push it. He nodded and looked into her teary eyes, which stared down at her hands.

"You know you can tell me when you're ready right?" He asked her, reaching up to tousle her hair lovingly. Riley picked her head up and looked at her father through her blurry eyes, and Nick thought she was perhaps on the verge of breaking down and telling him everything. He was almost certain now that her stepfather had done something to her, and it killed him as both her father and a CSI for her not to tell him. However, Riley wasn't just a victim he could pry information from and leave for family to deal with the bad times. She was his daughter, and he needed to be there to see her through it all. He would not push her until she was good and ready.

Riley gave him a tiny nod and then stared back down at her hands.

"Okay." Nick whispered, and let the lock of her hair fall back to her shoulder. "Let's get you home."

Nick guided her legs into the SUV, buckled her in, and then closed the door. He then walked to the driver's side and started the Denali up again, stealing a glance at his daughter. Nick felt his shoulders relax significantly now that he'd found her, and they'd gotten a lot about her past, and his past with her mother, out in the open. From what he'd been able to tell, her mother lied to her, perhaps about a lot of things. And the biggest one, and perhaps it was never spoken, was that she wasn't worth it. Nick was going to change that, but first, he would need to convince her it was okay to share things with him – things that perhaps she'd never told anyone before. It would be frightening to both speak of and to listen to, he suspected, but it needed to be done. That would be the first step in her healing, and would hopefully help her ease into her place in the Stokes' home where she belonged.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: I started writing the final chapter of this story, and once I got to page 16, I decided to make two chapters out of it. It kind of broke off nicely into two sections. So, I'll post the first half now, while I'm finishing the second! Since I'm almost done with the whole thing, I'll post the last chapter tomorrow about the same time. And yes, I'm considering doing a sequel! Let me know if you have ideas. Thanks for reviewing!

"But I want Daddy to say goodnight to me too!" Carly whimpered as she rubbed her eyes in bed that night. She hated when she didn't get to say goodnight to either of her parents, and she was especially cranky tonight since it was past her bedtime.

Sara sighed and sat down on her daughter's bed, all tucked in, but apparently not feeling cozy and ready to settle down. "Carly, Daddy's out finding Riley. You know that."

The mother wasn't in the most patient of moods. After finding their oldest and her friends outside on the porch apparently smoking, Riley's subsequent running away, and Carly being upset that Nick wasn't there, she was ready to call it a night. Sara wasn't going to admit that she wanted Nick back here with them just as much as she did, along with Riley.

"When's he getting back?" She whined, her face contorted in a particularly troubled but adorable shape.

"When he finds Riley." Sara stated simply, pulling her daughter's covers up a little more to her chin. She gave the five year old a kiss on the forehead and stroked her bangs away. "I'll tell him to come in and say goodnight when he gets in."

Carly grumbled in disappointment, then turned on her side away from her mother. She didn't see how finding Riley should be so hard. Her mommy and daddy were investigators after all. They solved everything, so Carly knew that Nick would find Riley.

Sara was about to say something else when she heard the garage door open downstairs. Carly heard it too, and immediately sat up in bed.

"Daddy!" She exclaimed, throwing her covers off. Before Sara could stop her, she had dashed across the room, opened the door, and was heading downstairs. Sighing in exhaustion, Sara stood up and followed after her. Her husband had called her from the road, and hung up when he thought he'd spotted Riley, but hadn't called to give her an update since. Sara was on pins and needles, wondering if Riley was okay.

She quickly climbed down the stairs and found Carly already in his arms, her little legs wrapped around his torso and her face buried in his shoulder. Nick was kissing her cheek, and whispering something gentle to her. Sara's eyes then fell on Riley, her long wavy hair falling forward to shield her face as she stood just behind Nick. Her arms were crossed, and from what Sara could tell from her body language, and the fact that it had been over half an hour since he'd called, Nick had already given her a bit of a talking-to. Sara had her two cents worth to put in, once Carly went back up to bed. She was relieved that Riley seemed relatively okay, but wasn't exactly in the most nurturing, motherly mood.

Nick leaned forward with Carly in his arms so he could put her feet back on the ground, but her feet remained clutched to his sides. Sara could tell that Carly was probably whining to her father to spend time with him, and to get to stay up longer. She could hear her tiny voice pleading with him, but couldn't quite make out the words.

Sara cleared her throat a little. "Carly, listen to your father."

Nick made eye contact with his wife and patted Carly on the back. It was obvious he'd had a long, rough night. His face showed a certain amount of relief, however, and Sara hoped he'd gotten through to Riley somewhat. The girl was hurting, but she also needed some sense knocked into her.

"I'm gonna go tuck her in." He told Sara softly, then turned with the girl in his arms to look at Riley. "Ry, why don't you ask Sara to help clean up your arms a bit." He suggested.

Riley made a somewhat timid eye contact with her father, giving Sara the first glimpse at her face. Obviously she had been crying and the pair had been through some sort of ordeal together. Overall, Riley reminded Sara of one of those scared little girls that they came across at crime scenes, and if she didn't want to throttle her for putting them through this, Sara would want to gather the kid up into her arms and rock her gently until she was okay.

"Can't you stay?" She whispered pleadingly. That was perhaps the first time she'd requested her father to stay with her, but Sara realized it was only because Riley knew she wanted to bite her little head off. Her stepmother had never been shy about expressing when she was upset with her or didn't approve of what she was doing.

"You'll be fine." He assured her as he readjusted Carly in his arms. "I'll be back in five minutes."

Nick made eye contact with his wife again as he walked Carly to the stairs, as if he were telling her not to get started on Riley just yet. Sara didn't know the whole story of what had happened, and she didn't want to take yet another step back by yelling at her prematurely. She nodded at Nick as he disappeared up the stairs.

Sara turned to look at Riley.

"So, do you need me to help you with something about your arms?" She asked, not in a threatening voice, but not a gentle one. It was a voice that told Riley she just wanted to get to business. Riley nodded wordlessly and walked over to Sara, not making eye contact, and displayed the insides of her forearms. Small pieces of gravel spotted her arms, amongst some minor bleeding she must have gotten when she fell. Sara imagined that she'd run from Nick when he confronted her. That didn't seem out of the teenager's realm.

"Alright, let's go to the sink." Sara prompted her, and led the way. She turned on the faucet and adjusted it to a warm temperature. Sara then guided Riley's arms under the water and gently rinsed the dirt off. Riley watched, almost in a daze, as Sara helped her clean, and then dry her arms. She was trying to comprehend what had gone on that night. Running away seemed like such a good idea at the time, mainly because Sara had pissed her off, but now that she'd seen how worried both Nick and Sara had been, she almost felt bad. Almost.

But then Nick had come after her. He searched for her! When she was eleven and angry at her mother, she did the same thing, and her mom couldn't have cared less. Riley stayed at a friend's house for a few days, hoping her mother would call and ask after her, but she never did. She just went home by herself a few days later and the first thing her mother had said was to clean her room. Her mother had always been so consumed with herself, unwilling to let Riley get away with dramatics or shift the attention away from her.

It felt good to know that her father cared for and loved her enough to go searching for her, after only a few minutes. He was actually worried about her. She'd scared him, she could tell, when she saw the look on his face. Sure, he was angry at her for pulling such a stunt, but above all he was a scared father. Something could have happened to his little girl, and Riley could tell how distraught he would be now if something ever did. Was it wrong to kind of like his reaction?

Riley was snapped out of her thoughts when Sara began to work some Neosporin onto both her forearms. Her gentle touch rubbed it in to her fresh, but now dry wounds. It felt kind of good and reassuring to Riley that she would do that, especially when she was still angry. Riley finally looked at her stepmother's face and could see it wasn't quite as fierce as she had remembered from a few minutes before. Maybe Sara would forgive her.

Riley opened her mouth, and her croaky voice made an offering that had previously been unheard – an apology.

"I'm sorry I ran away." She said softly, causing Sara's hand to momentarily stop on her arm. "I didn't mean to worry you guys so much."

Sara looked at her stepdaughter's face to check her sincerity. The kid looked genuinely sorry, and like she'd already gone through quite an array of emotions that night. Suddenly, all the yelling and lecturing Sara wanted to give her flitted away. Riley needed, and perhaps now wanted, her help in many different ways.

"Thank you." Sara told her and gave her arm one last rub. "That means a lot that you apologized. That was a dangerous thing to do, and you scared us to death."

Riley nodded and rubbed at her upper arm uncomfortably. Why did she all of a sudden feel like she was in the middle of an episode of "Full House"? She hoped this family wasn't going to graduate to a new level of corniness reminiscent of the Tanner clan.

"Sorry. My friends just showed up, and I know I shouldn't have let them hang out, but I'm trying to make new friends." She tried to explain in a bit of a rush, feeling her hands tense up. "And then they started smoking, and I didn't smoke, but I know it wasn't good since Carly and Nolan were around, and…"

"Okay, Riley. Calm down." Sara put her hands on her shoulders to stop her. It was a relief to hear her say exactly what she'd done wrong, honestly, and not have to lecture her and deal with her comebacks. And she'd actually had the strength not to try cigarettes. "We're just glad right now that you're okay."

Riley nodded, relief showing in her face. For once, she didn't want Nick and Sara to be disappointed in her, because it was exhausting. And she realized that it actually hurt to have them angry with her.

Nick's footsteps could be heard on the steps moments later, having just put Carly down for the night again. She could get emotional and clingy if either parent was gone for an extended period of time. He was expecting to perhaps find Riley seated on the couch looking upset still, and Sara pacing, trying to hold in her anger. However, when he reached the bottom of the stairs, he found Sara with one arm around their daughter, the other pushing some wispy hair away from Riley's face. The teenager looked calm, remorseful, but overall very tired. Nick slowed and stopped to lean against the wall next to the kitchen, and watched his wife and daughter standing just across from him. It seemed to him that Sara had rarely been so tender towards his daughter, mostly because Riley would never let her. But in this moment, it felt like he was interrupting a special moment between a mother and a daughter.

"Hey." He greeted them both gently, causing both to look up at him. Nick could tell now was not the time for them all to talk. They were all exhausted, and he really didn't want to get into any arguments or have to think up her punishment right now.

"Hey." Sara offered him a small, tired smile. "I cleaned up Riley, but I think we all just better head to bed. What do you think?"

Nick studied Riley as he nodded. She seemed reassured by Sara, and for once accepting of the love from her new family. Nick sensed that she'd been reluctant to let them in at all before, because of what her mother had told her about him. Now that that had been cleared, and the dust had settled a bit, Riley seemed much more comfortable and willing to let them in.

"Yeah. We can talk more tomorrow." He stated, also letting Riley know this wasn't all over. They were all relieved she was okay, but the incident would not go without some sort of discipline.

Riley slowly pulled away from Sara, as she stroked her hair a bit tenderly, and nodded at Nick's promise. She turned and embraced Sara, though only for a few moments, and then walked over to Nick. Riley wrapped her arms around him and felt his hand patting her back gently. She loved that even though she was in trouble, he was still affectionate towards her. He kissed her forehead and then gently pulled her back.

"Go get ready and I'll tuck you in." He promised her gently. Riley nodded and then disappeared towards her room without another word.

Sara then stepped forward to hug her husband. She sighed in relief as they embraced for an extended period of time. Nick pulled back and took her face in his hands, then leaned in and kissed her tenderly.

"Sorry I didn't call." He whispered, his face centimeters from hers. His hands rested at her hips as he looked into her eyes. "We were kinda busy. Got into talking about stuff."

Sara nodded and put her hands on his chest. "She seemed a lot different when she came back. A little more relieved." She explained.

Nick nodded and sighed a little in exhaustion of all that had gone on. "Yeah? We talked about her mother and me. I cleared up a few things, which helped I think."

It was a good thing that Nick had been honest with Riley about his past with her mother, though Sara was sure he would have rather kept some of that information private.

"Good. You can tell me more about it in bed." She whispered, giving his chest a supportive rub. Nick leaned down and captured her lips in a sweet, appreciative kiss.

"Thanks, baby. I'll be right up."

Sara disappeared up the stairs to get ready herself, while Nick walked back to Riley's room to say goodnight. He knocked on her door, and within a few seconds heard a soft 'come in', so he entered and closed the door behind him.

Riley was sitting on her bed in her pajamas, the covers pulled back and ready for her to get in as she worked her hair into a ponytail. Nick smiled a bit at her as he slowly walked over. Finishing her ponytail, she turned to look up at him as he held out her covers for her to climb in. The girl shuffled underneath and looked up at her father as he pulled the comforter up. _Just like he does with Carly, _she thought to herself. He loved her just like Carly and Nolan.

Nick sat down on the age and looked at his daughter, a slightly serene look on her face. For once, she didn't look angry; she didn't look annoyed by him; she just looked like she was enjoying the fact he was tucking her in.

"Thanks for coming to look for me." She whispered, and took one of Nick's hand in hers. Nick glanced down at their hands and then up at Riley's face.

"Well, I'm your dad. How could I not look for you?" He pointed out, rubbing the back of her hand with hit thumb as he looked at her. Nick knew that perhaps she wasn't as lucky as a child to have a parent who would drop everything if she was in danger or in trouble.

Riley shrugged and offered him a small smile. "Thanks, anyway." She told him. Nick smiled and then leaned down to kiss her forehead gently.

"I love you, Riley." He told her as he sat back up and winked at her.

"Love you too." She whispered. Nick smiled at her again and then patted her leg as he stood up. He left the room moments later and climbed up the stairs to bed, perhaps the most relaxed he had been since he'd learned of Riley.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Thanks to all for your support and kind suggestions during this story! This has been one of my favorite stories to write, and my longest! I'll start up a sequel probably soon, so look out for that. Thanks again for reading, and for your reviews: ) - and thanks Emily for reviewing!! I've been missing your multi-paragraph reviews, hahaha.

The next day, the family slept in late because of the trying day they'd had the day before. Predictably, Carly was the first up, who in turn woke up her parents by crawling up onto their bed. Nick gave his wife a kiss and told her to sleep in longer while he took care of Carly. The kindergartener was thrilled to get to spend time alone with her daddy, which she got to do a little less these days. He carried her down the stairs and deposited her on the kitchen counter so he could start some coffee and fix her breakfast.

"Did you have any dreams last night?" Nick asked his middle child as filled coffee pot with water.

Carly swung her feet. "Uh-uh. I didn't have any dreams last night."

"No dreams?" Nick mocked surprised.

"I can't have a dream _every_ night, Daddy." She told him matter-of-factly. Carly knew her father enjoyed hearing about her dreams, but she couldn't please him every morning with a new story!

Her father laughed and walked over to her, planting a kiss on top of her head. "I know, sweet pea." He assured her. "Do you want Cheerios or Rice Krispies today?"

"Cheerios, please." She told him. Nick began pouring his daughter a bowl of Cheerios, and was taking them over to the kitchen table while he carried Carly, when he heard movement towards the back of the house. The creature lazily padded towards the bathroom and let out an audible yawn.

Riley emerged a couple minutes later, while Nick stirred the cream into his coffee. The rough night she'd had was evident in her face, her hair, and the way she carried herself. He was slightly surprised when she stopped next to him, and leaned into his side. Nick wrapped his free arm around her and kissed her head.

"Morning, sunshine." He told her.

"Hi." She croaked sleepily, and then moved to wrap her arms around him completely. Nick smiled at the fact she was initiating real hugs with him now. He put down his spoon and enveloped her in a warm, fatherly cuddle.

"You sleep okay?"

"Mmmhmm. I still feel sleepy though." The teen confessed.

"Well, maybe later you can take a nap."

Riley chuckled a little. A nap sounded like a good plan for later in the day. She sighed a little sadly when she remembered they still needed to have a little chat today. "Are you still mad at me?"

Nick pulled back a little to look at his daughter's face. "I'm not mad, Ry, but we do still need to talk."

Riley sighed and nodded, then leaned back into his hug. "Can't we skip that part?"

Nick smirked and kissed the top of her head. "I'm afraid not. But I think since you're having a good attitude about it, that'll help." He pointed out the way she was handling things. She didn't have any mouthy comebacks, just a little joke about wanting to skip her inevitable lecture. That was a big step for her, he thought.

"Good. Just don't tell my friends."

He laughed as he let her go and picked up his mug. "I promise I won't tell."

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

One week later, Riley was lying on top of her comforter on her bed in the evening, just thinking about her life. Was she beginning to like living with the Stokes? Earlier, at dinner, they were all talking and joking around, laughing. Riley realized how much she liked that, compared to eating TV dinners on the couch with her mother and stepfather. It was probably at the dinner table where Riley learned the most about her father and her new family. They shared about what they did during the day, funny things that had happened, and even neat things they'd seen on TV. No matter what, it seemed, they always had time to sit down and eat as a family. Though she hated having to suffer through sitting with them for a half hour before, Riley found herself actually looking forward to dinner time each day. And breakfast, for that matter to. It was nice to be asked how she slept, and to share any dreams she had, while sleepily eating her Cheerios. Was this what real families did? Was she part of a real family?

Once she had finally started getting used to their way of life, Riley decided she did enjoy living with them. Sure, they were hard asses sometimes, but they were because they didn't want her to get hurt. That didn't mean that Riley would never act up again. She was thirteen years old, and in her blood to test the limits on occasion. It made her feel safe and secure that Nick got on her case about homework, and coming home for curfew, and the friends she kept. She liked that Sara flat-out told her that her three "friends" weren't really her friends if they just showed up when they knew she was grounded, and smoked in her backyard. Riley was now being supervised for the first time in her life, and it was keeping her out of trouble.

Now that she had gotten away from the environment she'd grown up in, she realized how hard it had been. It was good in some ways – it's always hard to label something as a completely bad experience. Her mother did love her, though she didn't know how to show it in appropriate ways. Her stepfather probably loved her deep down, but in a totally unacceptable way. How could you say you loved someone, and then cause her so much harm? Whenever Riley thought about what he'd done, it was hard not to cry. And what was even worse was that her mother was too caught up with herself to notice. She tried to hint at it, but her mother just didn't get it. Riley didn't want to ruin her mother's life by confessing that her husband had been molesting her. Her mother would probably never forgive her. She'd say that she should've done more to stop it, and she was asking for it with the way she dressed. Now that she was safe with the Stokes, it was okay to grieve that time in her life. And maybe it was okay to talk about it.

Sara came into the teenager's room a few minutes later, about to go upstairs to bed herself. She and Nick checked on her quite a bit, especially when she was grounded like she was now. Crossing the room, she smiled down at her daughter, and then sat down on her bed.

"I just thought I'd check on you before I went up to bed." She told Riley, reaching out to play with a piece of her hair.

Riley nodded her head and looked up at her stepmother. She had vague information that Sara had once been through some traumatic experiences with her parents. Would she understand what she had been through? Riley must have looked like she was on the verge of speaking.

"You okay?" Sara asked her. "You look like you were about to ask a question."

Riley closed her mouth and studied her face. Sara had never done her any wrong. She'd always looked out for her and invited her into this family. Riley swallowed and took a deep breath.

"I want to tell you something." The foreboding statement lingered in the air. Sara felt like a kid at a campfire, about to be told a story. However, she sensed that this story would be hard for Riley to tell, and would be a far cry from a campground tale. This was going to be a story about her life, which Nick and Sara both sensed had been quite rough until now.

Sara studied her and nodded. "Okay." She agreed softly. "What would you like to tell me about?"

Riley breathed in and out a cleansing breath, and closed her eyes for a moment. There would be no going back after this.

"My stepdad." She started simply, beginning to fiddle with the bracelet on her arm nervously. Sara nodded and waited for Riley to continue. She definitely didn't want to force her unnecessarily; because it was important Riley finally got this out in the open so she could be helped.

"He…I didn't like the way he treated me sometimes." Riley told her, and waited, because she wanted Sara's help with this. She wasn't sure how much to share, and how much Sara wanted to know. Riley wanted Sara to direct the conversation. Sara began to sense this, and took a gentle lead.

"I got the sense you didn't like him very much." Sara acknowledged. "What didn't you like about the way he treated you?"

Riley started off with the small stuff. "He'd yell at me a lot, and I'd get in trouble for the littlest things with him. And my mom never stuck up for me. He was just mean to me."

They had only just scratched the surface, Sara knew. Part of her didn't want Riley to continue, but the mother and the CSI in her knew it needed out.

"So you don't think he like you very much?" Sara guessed.

"No, he didn't." A deep breath. "Not in the right ways, at least."

The kid looked like she wanted to continue, but needed a little push.

"And what do you mean by not in the right ways?" Sara asked her gently, and reached over to take her hand. Riley watched Sara's hand softly stroking hers, and saw so much love. What would she be like if she'd had this love all her life? None of this would have happened.

"I don't know." Riley shrugged, and then cursed herself for not telling Sara the truth.

Sara waited a few moments as she rubbed her hand. "I think you do, Riley. But I know it's hard." Sara acknowledged, her heart breaking for the young girl. She hated cases that involved child abuse, and here was one that touched her life directly. Sara was going to do everything she could to help her.

"Yeah." She whispered as she shifted a little on her bed, and seemed a little reluctant. Sara decided to take a chance and share a bit about her childhood, in hopes it would get Riley to open up.

"You know, when I was a kid, my dad and I didn't get along." She started, and noticed that Riley looked a little relieved that the attention was away from her momentarily. "And not just because I didn't clean my room sometimes, or he was too strict, like most kids complain about. My dad was physically abusive towards me."

Riley studied her stepmother, bud didn't say anything, anxious for her to continue. She was an outstanding, successful adult, and she'd come from a tough background?

"It started off with him mostly yelling and putting down my mother, but then as I got older it shifted to me. And he started abusing us both." Sara was surprised how easy and natural it seemed to share this with Riley. It seemed they had a special connection, though a dire one. "He'd hit us. All over, and push us around. Most of the time it was something stupid that would set him off, like my mom cooked the wrong thing for dinner, or he didn't like the way I looked at him. But when he got angry, there was no controlling him. My mom couldn't do it, and I sure as hell couldn't."

"What did she do?" Riley asked, wondering if her mother was similar to Sara's.

"Well, when I was a bit younger than you, she finally had enough and took things into her own hands. She killed my father." Sara didn't want to go into the details, both for Riley's sake and her own sanity. It wasn't pleasant to recall the details.

Wow, Riley thought. Sara's mom actually had some guts, unlike her own. She was in tune with her daughter and at least knew what was going on. "Did she have to go to jail?"

"For a little while." She nodded. "It was ruled in self-defense, but I was in foster care most of my teen years. Life was hard for a while, but I'm okay now because I went through some counseling and I've had some great people in my life. One of them, your father."

Sara hoped that this would cue Riley in that getting help wasn't a weak thing to do; that it helped you heal and move on. Riley looked like she was ready to open up again now and tell Sara what had really happened.

"Do you think you're ready to tell me more about your stepfather?" Sara gently prompted her, cocking her head to the side a little to look at the girl. Riley paused for a few moments, but then shook her head yes.

"Yeah. I think so." She told her stepmother.

"Take a deep breath, and take your time." Sara told her, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. Riley squeezed back and did as Sara instructed her.

"It started off that he looked at me funny." She began shakily. "You know? Like looking me in a really weird way. Not like a father's supposed to look at his daughter."

"I understand." Sara nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"It was when I started…uh, developing a little." She told Sara a bit uncomfortably. "And then one time he saw me in a bathing suit, and I just didn't like the look on his face." Riley bit back a few tears, but knew now that she needed to continue.

"Then, he would kind of start touching me, like, put his hand on my side or my hip, and patting my bottom a little. It felt weird…different, and I didn't like it. I wished my mom would notice, but she didn't.

"When I was twelve, that's when it started getting really bad. He started touching me where people aren't supposed to touch you. Well, not until you're older anyway, and not by your stepdad."

Sara nodded. "Where did he touch you, sweetie?" She asked very softly.

Riley let out a shuddering breath. "Uh…where you bathing suit covers you up." She explained, uncomfortable with talking about her body. Sara nodded in understanding and rubbed the top of her hand.

"And how often did this happen?" She gently probed.

Riley wiped at her eyes and thought. "Maybe once or twice a month."

"Baby, I'm so sorry." She told her sympathetically. "No one should ever have to go through that, and he was wrong." She raised her eyebrows in seriousness.

Riley got teary eyed now, because she was sure Sara would think she was stupid for not telling anyone. "And I know I should've told, but I don't think my mom would believe me, and I was just scared. And he told me not to because I'd get in trouble…"

"Riley, it's okay." Sara assured her. "He made you think it was wrong to tell, and I'm sorry you didn't feel like you could go to your mom. But I'm glad you told me, because now I can help."

Riley nodded her head, but her face contorted as she began to cry. It had been painful to recall, but she also felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She'd told somebody. She'd finally told somebody. It felt relieving to know that someone else was aware of her past now. Now she didn't have a deep, dark secret that no one knew about. One person knew, and she could sense deep down that she'd picked the right person to tell.

Sara gently guided Riley to sit up so she could envelope her in a hug. Riley wrapped her arms around Sara's neck and cried into it. She was shaking a little bit, partly out of the fear she'd just experienced while recounting the events, but mostly because she was thankful it was out. It was kind of like that feeling she got after finishing a big test she'd been worried about, but way better.

The teen concentrated on the lulling effect of Sara's hand stroking her back. A good touch, she remembered from the video they'd been shown in kindergarten. Plus, it just felt right. It felt nice to have Sara comforting her, and that she'd listened to her. She wished her mother would've been this understanding, but was thankful she now had Sara. Though the whole ordeal of her mother dying and having to move here had been awful, but it was turning out to be not entirely bad. She missed her mom. She'd always miss her mom. But that didn't mean she had to spend her whole life pushing other people away. Perfectly good, wonderful, amazing people like Sara and Nick were in her life now. She was experiencing a love like she never knew even existed, and it felt good. Really good.

After a good few minutes, Riley finally pulled away slightly and looked into Sara's face. She was a wonderful mother, and would be an amazing stepmother if Riley let her in more. Sara wiped some tears from under her stepdaughter's eyes and then kissed her forehead.

"Let's get you tucked in." She suggested in such a caring voice. Riley smiled a little and nodded, moving her body as Sara stood to get under the covers. Sara pulled the sheets back and let Riley climb in. Riley beamed up at Sara as she leaned down to give her a final kiss on the forehead.

"I love you, Riley. And we can talk anytime you need to." She whispered. "And I hope you know it doesn't have to be about just serious stuff. The funny, happy stuff too." She smiled.

Riley agreed and nodded up at her. "I will. I promise."

Sara smiled serenely and then reached over to her bedside lamp to turn it off. She walked to the door and put her finger on the light switch, looking back at her daughter.

"Sara? I love you too." Riley told her. "I forgot to say that."

A touched smile peaked onto Sara's gentle face. "Thanks, sweetheart. I love you."

Then Sara turned off the light and closed the door as Riley turned over on her side. She walked up the stairs with a smile on her face to join her husband in bed. He was probably wondering what had happened to her down there. She'd gone to say goodnight to Riley almost half an hour ago.

Nick looked up from the book he was reading to watch his wife as she got her pajamas out of the dresser and began to change. She looked – at ease; at peace; like something big had just been chipped away. Immediately he knew – she'd talked to Riley, and she'd opened up.

"What did she say?" He asked her as she guided her tank top over her stomach. Sara turned as she freed her hair from where it got caught in the straps on its way over her shoulders.

"She finally told me about what her stepfather did." Sara told him as she kicked off her jeans and then climbed into bed next to him. Nick opened his right arm so she could snuggle in, marked his page, and set the book on the nightstand. He rubbed her bare arm as she settled in.

"Well, good. Can you tell me, or did she not want you to?" Nick asked, not wanting to stick his nose where Riley didn't want him just yet.

"No, I think she'd be okay with it. It was hard enough telling me, I think." Sara confessed to her husband. "It was mostly touching, from what I gathered. No intercourse, but the touching's bad enough."

Nick sighed and nodded. "Good thing the guy's dead, because I'd kill him myself." He declared, as he pulled Sara a little tighter. Nick was so insanely protective of all his children, and it bothered him that he hadn't been able to be there when Riley needed him most. He knew he had no control over it at the time, but as her father, he still felt guilty. Now was not the time for his anger to take over. Right now, Riley would need his strength and support to work through her issues and demons of the past.

"I think we should definitely put her in some type of counseling." Sara suggested as they lay in each other's arms. "She can't keep all this inside, and I know I found it easier sometimes to talk to another adult."

Nick looked down at Sara. "Yeah? I think we should too." He agreed. "But I bet you'll be a lot of help to her too, with what you went through."

Over the years, Nick had learned bit by bit some of the things she'd gone through during her childhood. It had been a horrific experience, and he was in awe that she'd risen all above that, and become an upstanding citizen, person, wife, and mother. She was amazing, and now he knew she'd use that experience to help their daughter.

"Mmmhmmm. I'll help her the best I can." Sara promised. Nick kissed her head one last time as they settled in to each other for the night. They made a good team, Nick thought, and he couldn't imagine spending his life with anyone but her. Was it ironic that someone else, someone who meant less to him, had given him one of the greatest gifts of his life – his daughter Riley? Nick decided to push that thought aside and closed his eyes. Tomorrow, everything would be different.


End file.
